Jailson Fulgencio de Moura

Epimeletic behaviour in rough-toothed dolphins ( Steno bredanensis ) on the east coast of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

In this note we contribute new evidence of epimeletic behaviour in Steno bredanensis in Brazilian waters. On 2 April 2007 we received information from lifeguards about a dead stranded rough-toothed dolphin at Prainha, Arraial do Cabo, east coast of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The dolphin was a male juvenile, 187xa0cm in total body length from the tip of the upper jaw to the caudal notch, and it was in a moderate state of decomposition. The results presented here, in addition to previous studies, indicate that rough-toothed dolphins display a highly complex social structure.

Guiana Dolphins (Sotalia guianensis, Van Benédén 1864) as Indicators of the Bioaccumulation of Total Mercury along the Coast of Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil

Total mercury (Hg) was determined in muscle tissue of 20 Guiana dolphins stranded along the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, with a mean of 1.07xa0μg/g wet weight. Mercury concentrations were positively related to body length, possibly related to the capacity of the dolphins to bioaccumulate this element throughout life. The Hg concentrations were not significantly different between males and females, although females (1.08xa0μg/g) showed slightly higher levels than males (1.04xa0μg/g). Concentrations were low when compared to results of studies carried out with small cetaceans in the Northern Hemisphere, and with previous studies in the Southeastern Brazil.

A interface da saúde pública com a saúde dos oceanos: produção de doenças, impactos socioeconômicos e relações benéficas

Over the past decades, human activities have had a heavy impact on the marine environment, causing alterations in ecological processes. The relationship between the health of the oceans, human activities and public healthcare is already generally accepted, though the mechanisms involved are still under scientific scrutiny. These relationships include a focus on climate change, toxic algal blooms, microbial and chemical contamination in marine waters and bioinvasion by exotic species. Moreover, there is the beneficial effect of the oceans on human health and wellbeing, such as natural products for the human diet, the development of biomedicine, or simply the satisfaction derived from human recreation, sports and other interactions of humans with oceans. The importance of appreciating the link between public healthcare and the health of the oceans is especially important due to the growing number of people living in coastal areas, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. The backcloth to this is risk-related human activities that pose a danger to marine environmental health and the increase in the vulnerability of humans and biodiversity and socio-environmental iniquity.

Guiana Dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) as Marine Ecosystem Sentinels: Ecotoxicology and Emerging Diseases

Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) are small cetaceans that inhabit coastal regions down to a 50 m depth. As a coastally distributed species, they are exposed to a variety of human-induced risks that include passive fishing nets, persistent environmental pollution, and emerging diseases. As a top predatorS. guianensis occupies an important ecological niche in marine ecosystems. However, this niche also exposes this dolphin to extensive biomagnification of marine contaminants that may accumulate and be stored throughout their life of about 30 years.In this paper, we have compiled available data on the Guiana dolphin as regards its exposure to chemical pollutants, pathogenic microbes, infectious diseases, and injuries caused by interactions with passive fishing gears. Our analysis of the data shows that Guiana dolphins are particularly sensitive to environmental changes.Although the major mortal threat to dolphins results from contact with fishing other human-related activities in coastal zones also pose risks and need more attention.Such human-related risks include the presence of persistent toxicants in the marine environment, such as PCBs and PBDEs. Residues of these chemicals have been detected in Guiana dolphins tissues at similar or higher levels that exist in cetaceans from other known polluted areas. Another risk encountered by this species is the non lethal injuries caused by fishing gear. Several incidents of this sort have occurred along the Brazilian coast with this species. When injuries are produced by interaction with fishing gear, the dorsal fin is the part of the dolphin anatomy that is more affected, commonly causing severe laceration or even total loss.The Guiana dolphins also face risks from infectious diseases. The major ones thus far identified include giardiasis, lobomycosis, toxoplasmosis, skin and skeletal lesions. Many bacterial pathogens from the family Aeromonadaceae and Vibrionaceae have been isolated from Guiana dolphins. Several helminth species have also been observed to affectS. guianensis. These results suggest a vulnerability of this species to environmental disturbances. Moreover, there is some evidence that the effects of some infectious diseases may be enhanced from stress caused by habitat impairment. For example, certain diseases and pathogenic organisms in S.guianensis may be associated with the high levels of endocrine-disruptor contaminants(e.g., PCBs; DDTs; PBDEs) that have been detected in marine waters.Although the data available on S. guianensis is growing, most of the work has been focused on a small portion of the species total area of distribution. Most studies,to date, have been carried out in the Southern region of the distribution, and in north eastern Brazil. Few studies have been conducted in the northern region of the South America or in Central America. Therefore, future studies should be conducted that address the heterogeneity of this species total distribution.The biology and ecology of the Guiana dolphin renders this species potentially useful as a sentinel species for detecting environmental changes, such as chemical and biological pollution. Research about this dolphin is encouraged as a way to assess what coastal environmental changes have occurred and to continue evaluating the health status of this vulnerable species in a changing environment.

Stranding pattern of Bryde's whales along the south-eastern coast of Brazil

jailson fulgencio de moura and salvatore siciliano Escola Nacional de Saude Publica (ENSP), Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa (DENSP), Grupo de Estudos de Mamiferos Marinhos da Regiao dos Lagos (GEMM-Lagos), Rua Leopoldo Bulhoes, 1480–68 andar, sala 620, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21041-210 Brazil, Programa de Pos Graduacao em Saude Publica e Meio Ambiente, Escola Nacional de Saude Publica, Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (ENSP/FIOCRUZ)

Evidence of migratory movements of olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) along the Brazilian coast

Projeto Aves, Quelonios e Mamiferos Marinhos da Bacia de Campos, Grupo de Estudos de Mamiferos Marinhos da Regiao dos Lagos (GEMM-Lagos) / Oceanites, Departamento de Endemias, Escola Nacional de Saude Publica, FIOCRUZ (Rua Leopoldo Bulhoes, 1480 - 6o andar - Sala 620, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil) *Corresponding author: est.cardinot@gmail.com Sea turtles have a long and complex life cycle involving transoceanic migrations and marked changes in diet and habitat. Juveniles are believed to spend their first few years drifting passively in ocean current systems or on floating sargassum rafts (CARR, 1986; BOLTEN et al., 1998). Advanced juveniles subsequently shift to coastal feeding habitats (CARR, 1987). After reaching sexual maturity, some 20 or 30 years later (FRAZER; EHRHART, 1985; KLINGER; MUSICK, 1995), adults undertake reproductive migrations that range from tens to thousands of kilometers (MEYLAN, 1982; MEYLAN et al., 1983; HUGHES, 1989; LIMPUS et al., 1992). Nesting usually occurs in spring and summer. Tagging data suggest that sea turtles show maternal philopatry to their natal site (BJORNDAL et al., 1983; BOWEN et al., 1993). Five sea turtle species can be found in Brazil: Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata, and Lepidochelys olivacea of the Cheloniidae family, and Dermochelys coriacea of the Dermochelyidae family (MARCOVALDI; MARCOVALDI, 1999) . L. olivacea (Eschscholtz 1829), known as olive ridley turtle, shows a great concentration of nests in Sergipe and northern Bahia states, on the north-eastern Brazilian coast (DA SILVA et al., 2007). Also, based on incidental catch by the Brazilian pelagic longline fishery, Sales et al. (2008) have suggested that the offshore waters of the north-eastern Brazilian coast are a preferential habitat for olive ridley turtles. Under the International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria, this species is currently considered endangered (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, available at , December 2009). In addition, L. olivacea is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (available at , December 2009). Here we discuss the possible existence of a translocation pattern of olive ridleys along the Brazilian coast based on reports of specimens stranded along the central-north coast of Rio de Janeiro state since 2005. These reports include an olive ridley tagged by the TAMAR Project in Sergipe and found by our research group in Quissama, northern Rio de Janeiro state. Since 2005, GEMM-Lagos / Oceanites staff has been regularly monitoring beaches along the central-north coast of Rio de Janeiro state, from Saquarema (22

First documented record of the Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii Montagu, 1813 (Aves: Sternidae) in southeast Brazil

We report the first record of Sterna dougallii Montagu, 1813 on the southeastern Brazilian coast. During monthly bird surveys in the northern Rio de Janeiro State, on January 2012 we recovered a tern banded in Massachusetts, USA. The present record stretches the S. dougallii southernmost geographic distribution in Brazil (Bahia state) by about 600 km. It is difficult to evaluate this species’ regional status due to the absence of continuous sampling efforts.

Population genetic structure of the South American Bryde's whale

A genetic analysis based on mitochondrial DNA control region sequences was conducted to investigate both species identity and populations genetic structure of South American Brydes whales. The genetic analysis was based on historical, biopsy and stranding samples from Chile (n= 10) and Brazil (n= 8). For comparative purposes published sequences of the Brydes whales from different localities of the Indian and Pacific Oceans (including Peru, n= 24) were incorporated into the analysis. Results of the phylogenetic analysis identified the Brydes whales of South Ameri ca as Balaenoptera brydei. No statistically significant genetic differentiation was found between Chilean and Peruvian Brydes whales. However, striking differences were found between western South Atlantic (Brazil) and eastern South Pacific (Peru and Chile) animals. In addition, striking genetic differences were found between all South American localities and those from the western North Pacific, Fiji and Java. These results suggest movement of B. brydei in the eastern South Pacific in the latitudinal range corresponding to Chile and Peru. These results also suggest no or very limited mov ement of whales between the South Pacific and the South Atlantic Oceans. This is consistent with the notion that B. brydei is not distributed further south of approximately 40oS on both sides of South America.

210)Polonium and (210)lead content of marine birds from Southeastern Brazil.

In this study, we report the (210)Po and (210)Pb concentrations of bone, muscle and liver samples that were obtained from twelve different marine bird species stranded on beaches in the central-north region of Rio de Janeiro State. Both radionuclides were highly concentrated in the liver samples; however, the lowest mean (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratio (1.3) was observed in bones compared with liver and muscle (16.8 and 13.8, respectively). Among the species that were studied, Fregata magnificens, with a diet based exclusively on fish, had the lowest (210)Pb and (210)Po concentrations and the lowest (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratio. The (210)Po concentrations in Puffinus spp. liver samples followed a log-normal distribution, with a geometric mean of 300 Bq kg(-1)wet weight. Only two references pertaining to (210)Po in marine birds were found in a Web of Science search of the literature, and each study reported a different concentration value. The values determined in this experiment are consistent with those in one of the previous studies, which also included one of the species studied in this work. No values for (210)Pb in marine birds have been published previously.

210Polonium content of small cetaceans from Southeastern Brazil

The (210)Po concentration of muscle and liver samples obtained from dolphins stranded on beaches in the Southeastern region of Rio de Janeiro State was analyzed in the present study. The samples were primarily obtained from Franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) and Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis); however, samples from four other species were also evaluated. The (210)Po concentration of muscle samples obtained from Franciscana dolphins (66.7±6.7, n=8)Bq kg(-1)w.w. was greater than that of Guiana dolphins (25.3±5.7, n=8)Bq kg(-1)w.w. due to differences in the diets of these species. Alternatively, the (210)Po concentrations of liver samples obtained from different species were statically equivalent. Compared to the results described in the literature, the muscle samples evaluated in the present study displayed lower (210)Po concentrations, except for those obtained from Franciscana dolphins, which exhibited similar values. For Franciscana and Guiana dolphins, a clear relationship between the (210)Po concentration of muscle and liver samples and the size of the dolphin was not observed.