Primeiro registro de falsa orca, Pseudorca crassidens (CETACEA: DELPHINIDADE), para o litoral do estado do Ceará.

Abstract

The false orca (Pseudorca crassidens) is a dolphin of tropical zones and hot temperatures around the world. Its distribution is based on sightings and, mainly, mass stranding. In Brazil, the species has records based on strandings and accidental catches in fishing nets in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Paraíba. The present work expands the distribution of this species to Brazil from a specimen found alive in July 2000 at Praia de Guajiru, 130 km distant from Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. Biometric and craniometric measurements were taken to characterize the identification of the species. The individual, a juvenile male with 303c cm CT, had a black color pattern (with the exception of the slightly lighter ventral region), characteristic for the species; narrow pectoral fins, presenting a curve similar to an “elbow”, with sharp ends; dorsal fin with a rounded tip; presence of 34 large dental alveoli and the long, curved mouth line. The animal had disorientation, loss of balance and altered respiratory rate, and died within hours of rescue. The morphological and physiological aspects and the morphometric measurements found confirm the species, expanding its distribution to the Western South Atlantic.