Eating habits of porpoise (Pontoporia blainvillei) on the north coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

This research note describes the prey identified in the stomach contents of four carcasses of Franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, recovered from strandings on beaches on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, between 2010 and 2011. The fish identified as prey were Lycengraulis grossidens, Trichiurus lepturus, Paralonchurus brasiliensis, Chirocentrodon bleekerianus, Isopisthus parvipinnis, Pellona harroweri and Stellifer rastrifer. The cephalopods consumed were the squids Doryteuthis plei and D. sanpaulensis. Shrimps of the Penaeidae family whose specific identification was not possible were recorded in the stomach contents. All prey are coastal species, abundant in the region. The comparison with past data on the P. blainvillei diet, obtained between 1989 and 1999, suggests that there was no temporal change in its preferred feeding habits in the region.