Encalhe de cetáceos na costa do Ceará

Abstract

One of the groups that compose the marine mammals is the cetaceans (order Cetartiodactyla), which includes dolphins (suborder Odontoceti) and baleen whales (suborder Mysticeti). Cetacean stranding events can happen due to natural and man-made causes. Thus, studying and monitoring the strandings of cetaceans helps to diagnose the main pressures in the environments they inhabit. In addition, carcasses stranded on the coast can provide biological information about the diversity and abundance of species in a region. Within this context, the goal of the present study was to characterize the strandings of cetaceans on the coast of Ceará, over a period of 12 years of study (2005 - 2017). In total, 502 stranded cetaceans were recorded, distributed in 20 species. The Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis, is the most stranded species in the coast of Ceará. In addition to this, the other two species of cetaceans that most strand are the sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, and the melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra. Most strandings where interaction marks can be seen are shown to be anthropic interaction marks. The new records of sperm whale newborns reinforce the hypothesis that the region off the coast of Ceará can be used for reproduction of this species.