A NORTHERN RECORD OF PANTROPICAL SPOTTED DOLPHINS (Stenella attenuata) IN SOUTHWEST ATLANTIC OCEAN

Abstract

Pantropical spotted dolphins, Stenella attenuata, are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans around the world, but their distribution is poorly known in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SWA). A group of approximately 10 S. attenuata individuals was sighted in deep (~3,000 m), warm (~27.5 °C) and oligotrophic waters, near oceanic banks off northeastern Brazil (02°04’16.68” S and 038°08’28.26” W). This sighting constitute a new record of the northern distribution of S. attenuata in SWA. More survey efforts mustbe carried out to investigate cetaceans distribution along the Brazilian coast, especially inoffshore waters.

Occurrence and habitat use of pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) at the edge of their distribution in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean

“…Despite being widely distributed, the ecology of the species in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SWA) is not well known (e.g., Do Amaral et al, 2015;Moreno et al, 2005). Previous studies in the SWA indicated that the northern limit of its distribution is in oceanic tropical waters (02 04 0 S), whereas the southern limit is 22 42 0 S (Gurjão, 2020;Moreno et al, 2005). Most sightings have been documented at lower latitudes in association with tropical warm and deep waters (Di Tullio…”