Cetacean records along São Paulo state coast, Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The São Paulo state (SP) coast (23°18'S, 44°42'W; 25°14'S, 48°01'W) is of approximately 600 km in length, bordering the Western Atlantic Ocean, in southeastern Brazil. Cetacean sightings and strandings have long been observed throughout this area. Scattered data from scientific publications, skeletal remains in museums, photographs and articles from newspaper files, universities and aquaria have been organised and updated since 1993. Field investigations on strandings and sightings have also been conducted. A total of 29 cetacean species have been recorded, including 7 baleen whales (Mysticeti) and 22 toothed whales (Odontoceti), as follows: Balaenoptera physalus, B. borealis, B. edeni, B. acutorostrata, B. bonaerensis, Megaptera novaeangliae, Eubalaena australis, Physeter macrocephalus, Kogia breviceps, K. sima, Berardius arnuxii, Mesoplodon europaeus, M. mirus, Ziphius cavirostris, Orcinus orca, Feresa attenuata, Globicephala melas, G. macrorhynchus, Pseudorca crassidens, Delphinus capensis, Lagenodelphis hosei, Steno bredanensis, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella frontalis, S. longirostris, S. coeruleoalba, Lissodelphis peronii, Sotalia guianensis and Pontoporia blainvillei.Several species have been observed only once and include strays from their areas of common distribution, as well as species with known preferences for offshore distribution. Others, such as P. blainvillei and S. guianensis, are common coastal dwellers year-round. Z. cavirostris, P. crassidens and L. hosei are reported for the first time on the SP coast. RESUMOA costa do Estado de São Paulo (SP) (23°18'S, 44°42'O; 25°14'S, 48°01'O) apresenta aproximadamente 600 km de extensão voltada para o Oceano Atlântico Ocidental no sudeste do Brasil. Registros de encalhes e de avistamentos de cetáceos vêm sendo realizados ao longo desse litoral. Desde 1993, dados obtidos em literatura científica, material osteológico encontrado em museus, fotografias e artigos de arquivos de jornais, universidades e aquários foram organizados e atualizados. Investigações efetuadas em campo referentes a encalhes e avistamentos de cetáceos também foram conduzidas. Um total de 29 espécies de cetáceos foi registrado, incluindo 7 misticetos e 22 odontocetos, como indicados a seguir: Balaenoptera physalus, B. borealis, B. edeni, B. acutorostrata, B. bonaerensis, Megaptera novaeangliae, Eubalaena australis, Physeter macrocephalus, Kogia breviceps, K. sima, Berardius arnuxii, Mesoplodon europaeus, M. mirus, Ziphius cavirostris, Orcinus orca, Feresa attenuata, Globicephala melas, G. macrorhynchus, Pseudorca crassidens, Delphinus capensis, Lagenodelphis hosei, Steno bredanensis, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella frontalis, S. longirostris, S. coeruleoalba, Lissodelphis peronii, Sotalia guianensis e Pontoporia blainvillei. Algumas espécies foram observadas apenas em uma ocasião e incluem tanto vagantes de suas áreas comuns de distribuição, assim como de conhecidas áreas de distribuições preferenciais oceânicas. Outras, como P. blainvillei e S. guianensis, são comumente encon...

Humpback whales washed ashore in southeastern Brazil from 1981 to 2011: stranding patterns and microbial pathogens survey

“…As an example, Santos et al (2010) revised the occurrence of cetaceans along the coast of São Paulo, state from 1984 to 2008, and found 15 records, from which 10 were dependent calves. From 1991 to 2008 only three records of humpback whales were reported for the northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul state (southern Brazil) (Danilewicz et al 2009).…”

Report of the Working Group on the Distribution of Tursiops truncatus in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean

“…In 2003, another lone and sociable bottlenose dolphin (female) was observed traveling between Ubatuba and Bertioga. The latter was found dead in São Vicente in August 2003 after moving approximately 250km southwards from the location at which it was first sighted (Santos et al, 2010). Artisanal fishermen also reported sightings of bottlenose dolphins in the São Sebastião region (Souza and Begossi, 2007).…”

“…In addition, Martuscelli et al (1996) reported 14 strandings and one sighting between October 1985 and December 1994 at São Sebastião, Ubatuba, Grande and Peruíbe beaches, and Comprida, Cardoso and Castilho islands. A review of stranded bottlenose dolphins along the coast of SP indicated 40 previously unpublished records between August 1994 and January 2008 (Santos et al, 2010). In another study, five strandings of bottlenose dolphins were recorded in Comprida Island between 1986 and 1998 within a range of 2008, 2010 2009 1992, 1994-1998, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2010 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006-2010 2005 1999-2007, 2009 2000, 2008 1996, 1999, 2002-2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 1984 1994 1994-1995 1980-1984 1985-1997 1980-2010 1984-2012 1985-1994, 1987, 1994-2008 1996-1999 2007-2009 1985, 1987-1991, 2005 1969-1979, 1981-1982, 1984, 1987-1992 1980, 1983, 1985-1986, 1993-2006, 1991-2008 1947-2010 1962, 1991 1958-1975 1951-1962 1905 1909 1904-1982 14 .…”

Report of the Working Group on Interactions between Humans and Tursiops truncatus in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean

“…However, fishermen occasionally can use carcasses from incidental captures to feed their own families or to use as shark bait (Meirelles et al, 2009;Zappes et al, 2011a, b;2014). Santos et al (2010) reported on the capture of a male bottlenose dolphin for public display at a small facility in São Vicente, São Paulo (SP) State, Brazil. The dolphin was captured in SC (27oS) in 1983 and released into the wild in 1993 at the same spot in which it was captured .…”