Franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) diet from Northern Espírito Santo State coast, Brazil

Abstract

The franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) is the most threatened dolphin species in the Brazilian coast. The study area is the northernmost distribution range of the species and the stock inhabiting the northern State of Espírito Santo is isolated from other populations. Likewise, there is no information on feeding habits of franciscana dolphins in the study area. Hence, the aim of this study was to describe the diet of franciscana dolphins from the Northern Espírito Santo State coast. Stomach contents of 18 individuals stranded in the study area between January 2012 and March 2015 were analyzed. We ranked each specific prey item found in stomach contents using the frequency of occurrence, the total count of prey items, and the relative abundance of prey. It was found novel records of prey species for the franciscana dolphin and we explored possible feeding strategy patterns. The fish Isopisthus parvipinnis was the most common prey consumed by the dolphins. Our report agrees with previous studies showing demersal fish species, mainly sciaenids, as the most common preys consumed by the franciscana dolphin followed by pelagic fish species.

Keywords

• Cetáceos
• Ecologia trófica
• Odontocetos
• Peixes