|Size compared to an average human|
(van Bénéden, 1864)
|Range of Guiana dowphin(coastaw–sowid pattern) and tucuxi (inwand–hatched pattern)|
The Guiana dowphin (Sotawia guianensis), awso known as de estuarine dowphin, is a dowphin found in de coastaw waters to de norf and east of Souf America, and east of Centraw America. It is a member of de oceanic dowphin famiwy (Dewphinidae). It can wive bof in sawtwater and in freshwater.
During its 2008 Annuaw Meeting in Santiago, Chiwe, as proposed by Fwores et aw. (2008), de Scientific Committee of de Internationaw Whawing Commission (IWC) endorsed ‘Guiana dowphin’ as de common Engwish name for (Sotawia guianensis) in its IWC List of Recognized Cetacean Species (LRCS). Furdermore, de common name "Guiana dowphin" has been suggested by Fwores and cowweagues.
The Guiana dowphin (Sotawia guianensis) is freqwentwy described as wooking simiwar to de bottwenose dowphin. However, it is typicawwy smawwer, at onwy up to 2.1 m (6.9 ft) in wengf. The dowphin is cowoured wight to bwuish grey on its back and sides. The ventraw region is wight grey. The dorsaw fin is typicawwy swightwy hooked, wif a trianguwar shape. The beak is weww-defined and of moderate wengf.
Guiana dowphins are very inconspicuous, and dey do not bow ride on boats and normawwy swims away from dem.
Researchers have recentwy shown dat de costero has an ewectroreceptive sense, and specuwate dis may awso be de case for oder odontocetes.
Awdough described as species distinct from de tucuxi Sotawia fwuviatiwis by Pierre-Joseph van Bénéden in 1864, de costero Sotawia guianensis has subseqwentwy been synonymized wif Sotawia fwuviatiwis wif de two species being treated as subspecies, or marine and freshwater varieties. The first to reassert differences between dese two species was a dree-dimensionaw morphometric study of Monteiro-Fiwho and cowweagues. Subseqwentwy, a mowecuwar anawysis by Cunha and cowweagues unambiguouswy demonstrated dat Sotawia guianensis was geneticawwy differentiated from Sotawia fwuviatiwis. This finding was reiterated by Cabawwero and cowweagues wif a warger number of genes. The existence of two species has been generawwy accepted by de scientific community;.
The costero is found cwose to estuaries, inwets and oder protected shawwow-water areas around de eastern and nordern Souf American coast. It has been reported as far souf as soudern Braziw and norf as far as Nicaragua. One report exists of an animaw reaching Honduras.
Food and Foraging
More dan 60 species of demersaw and pewagic schoowing fish have been reported as prey. Smaww fish of 8 in (20 cm) or wess are preferred. Foraging may be carried out individuawwy or in groups. Different dowphin communities may adopt deir own foraging strategies based on wocaw circumstances. One of de best studied groups herds fish onto beaches and hawf strands demsewves for a few seconds whiwe grabbing deir prey.
This species forms smaww groups of about 2-10 individuaws, occasionawwy up to 100, and swim in tight-knit groups, suggesting a highwy devewoped sociaw structure. They are qwite active and may jump cwear of de water (a behaviour known as breaching), somersauwt, spy-hop or taiw-spwash. They are unwikewy, however, to approach boats. They feed on a wide variety of fish, shrimps and sqwid. Studies of growf wayers suggest de species can wive up to 30 years.
In December 2006, researchers from de Soudern University of Chiwe and de Ruraw Federaw University of Rio de Janeiro witnessed attempted infanticide by a group of costeros in Sepetiba Bay, Braziw. A group of six aduwts separated a moder from her cawf, four den keeping her at bay by ramming her and hitting her wif deir fwukes. The oder two aduwts rammed de cawf, hewd it under water, den drew it into de air and hewd it under water again, uh-hah-hah-hah. The moder was seen again in a few days, but not her cawf. Since femawes become sexuawwy receptive widin a few days of wosing a cawf, and de group of attacking mawes was sexuawwy interested in de femawe, it is possibwe dat de infanticide occurred for dis reason, uh-hah-hah-hah. Infanticide has been reported twice before in bottwenose dowphins, but is dought to be generawwy uncommon among cetaceans.
The costero is wisted on Appendix II of de Convention on de Conservation of Migratory Species of Wiwd Animaws (CMS). It is wisted on Appendix II as it has an unfavourabwe conservation status or wouwd benefit significantwy from internationaw co-operation organised by taiwored agreements. As wif aww coastaw cetaceans, de Guiana dowphin suffers from negative interactions wif humans. Entangwement in giww nets, seine nets, and shrimp traps is responsibwe for de deaf of many animaws each year. There is very wimited gene fwow between concentrations of dis dowphin, and warge stretches of coast contain no animaws at aww, so recovery from depwetion of a wocaw popuwation may take time.
- Fwores, PAC; Bazzawo, M; Santos, MC; Rossi-Santos, MR; Trujiwwo, F; Bowaños-Jimenez, J; Cremer, MJ; May-Cowado, LJ; Siwva, FJL; Montiew-Viwwawobos, MG; Azevedo, AF; Meirewwes, ACO; Fwach, L; Barrios-Garrido, H; Simões-Lopes, PC; Cunha, HA; van Waerebeek, K (2010). "PROPOSED ENGLISH COMMON NAME FOR THE NEOTROPICAL DELPHINID SOTALIA GUIANENSIS (P-J. VAN BÉNEDÉN, 1864)". Latin America Journaw of Aqwatic Mammaws. 8 (1–2): 179–181. doi:10.5597/wajam00167.
- Nicowe U. Czech-Damaw; Awexander Liebschner; Lars Miersch; Gertrud Kwauer; Frederike D. Hanke; Christopher Marshaww; Guido Dehnhardt; Wowf Hanke (2011). "Ewectroreception in de Guiana dowphin (Sotawia guianensis)". Proc. R. Soc. B. 279 (1729): 663–8. doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.1127. PMC 3248726. PMID 21795271.
- Borobia, M.; S. Siciwiano; L. Lodi & W. Hoek (1991). "Distribution of de Souf American dowphin Sotawia fwuviatiwis". Canadian Journaw of Zoowogy. 69 (4): 1024–1039. doi:10.1139/z91-148.
- Monteiro-Fiwho, E.L.D.A.; L. Rabewwo-Monteiro & S.F.D. Reis (2008). "Skuww shape and size divergence in dowphins of de genus Sotawia: A morphometric tridimensionaw anawysis". Journaw of Mammawogy. 83: 125–134. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0125:SSASDI>2.0.CO;2.
- Cunha, H.A.; V.M.F. da Siwva; J. Laiwson-Brito Jr.; M.C.O. Santos; P.A.C. Fwores; A.R. Martin; A.F. Azevedo; A.B.L. Fragoso; R.C. Zanewatto & A.M. Sowé-Cava (2005). "Riverine and marine ecotypes of Sotawia dowphins are different species". Marine Biowogy. 148 (2): 449–457. doi:10.1007/s00227-005-0078-2.
- Cabawwero, S.; F. Trujiwwo; J. A. Vianna; H. Barrios-Garrido; M. G. Montiew; S. Bewtrán-Pedreros; M. Marmontew; M. C. Santos; M. R. Rossi-Santos; F. R. Santos & C. S. Baker (2007). "Taxonomic status of de genus Sotawia: species wevew ranking for "tucuxi" (Sotawia fwuviatiwis) and "costero" (Sotawia guianensis) dowphins". Marine Mammaw Science. 23 (2): 358–386. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2007.00110.x.
- Berta, Annawisa, editor. Whawes, Dowphins & Porpoises: A Naturaw History and Species Guide. University of Chicago Press, 2015.
- "Dowphins seen trying to kiww cawf". BBC News. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 30 Apriw 2010.
- Nery, M. F.; S. M. Simão (2009). "Sexuaw coercion and aggression towards a newborn cawf of marine tucuxi dowphins (Sotawia guianensis)". Marine Mammaw Science. 25 (2): 450–454. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2008.00275.x.
- "Appendix II Archived 21 February 2012 at de Wayback Machine" of de Convention on de Conservation of Migratory Species of Wiwd Animaws (CMS). As amended by de Conference of de Parties in 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008. Effective: 5 March 2009. Convention on Migratory Species page on de Guiana dowphin
- Fwach, Leonardo; Fwach, Patricia Amaraw; Chiarewwo, Adriano G (2008). "Density, abundance and distribution of de Guiana dowphin (Sotawia guianensis van Benéden, 1864) in Sepetiba Bay, Soudeast Braziw". The Journaw of Cetacean Research and Management. 10 (1): 31–36. ISSN 1561-0713. Retrieved January 2013. Check date vawues in:
- Rosas, Fernando C Weber; Monteiro-Fiwho, Emygdio LA (2002). "Reproduction of de Estuarine Dowphin (Sotawia guianensis) on de Coast of Paraná, Soudern Braziw". Journaw of Mammawogy. 83 (2): 507–515. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0507:ROTEDS>2.0.CO;2.