Guiana dolphin, costero, sotalia (Sotalia guianensis)

- TAXONOMY
Class : Mammalia
Order : Cetartiodactyla
Infraorder : Cetacea
Parvorder : Odontoceti
Family : Delphinidae
Common names :
English : Guiana dolphin, costero, sotalia
Spanish : Tonina costera, bufeo
French : Dauphin de Guyane, Sotalie

- MORPHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
Morphology : Small, robust, compact body. Stocky beak. Short triangular dorsal fin with broad base.
Color and patterns : bluish or brownish gray upper side with pale gray, white or pinkish underside.
Confusion with other species : This species is close to the Tucuxi dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis), which is only found in fresh water, in the Amazon and its tributaries.
Body length : 1.5-1.7 m
Group size : usually few units to several dozen individuals.
Specific behavior : very elusive species, difficult to approach to.
Feeding : coastal fish, cephalopods and shrimps.

- DISTRIBUTION
Global distribution : the species is endemic of the coastal waters of Central and South America. It is found from Honduras to Rio de Janeiro, exclusively along the coasts and in estuaries.
 

- CONSERVATION
Threats recorded in the Wider Caribbean region : bycatch in active and ghost fishing nets, whaling and coastal habitat degradation (destruction, water pollution and overfishing).
IUCN status : classified as NT (Near Threatened) globally, but VU (Vulnerable) in Venezuela and Colombia regional red list, and EN (Endangered) in French Guyana.
SPAW status : classified in annex II of the Spaw Protocol since 1991.

Sources  :
International Whaling Commission
De Boer, M. N. (2015). Cetaceans observed in Suriname and adjacent waters. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 10(1), 2.
IUCN (2021) The IUCN redlist of threatened species.
IUCN and Zoological Society of London (2012) National Red Lists
Jefferson T.A., Webber M.A., Pitman R.L. (2015) Marine mammals of the world : a comprehensive guide to their identification. Academic Press.
Kaschner, K., Reeves, R. (2011) LifeWeb species distribution factsheets.
NOOA (2021) Species fact sheets - Marine mammals.
Ocean Science & Logistic (2020) Guide des cétacés de Guyane française. OSL, canopée des Science, Cayenne, Guyane française.
Pusineri, C., Bordin, A., Martinez, L. et al. (In press). Cetacean community off French Guiana. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals.
Savouré-Soubelet A., Aulagnier S., Haffner P., et al. (coord.) (2016) Atlas des mammifères sauvages de France volume 1 : Mammifères marins. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris ; IRD, Marseille.
Society for marine mammalogy-Species fact sheets
SPAW-RAC. (2020). Implementation of the Action Plan for Marine Mammals in the Wider Caribbean Region : A Scientific and Technical Analysis. Authored by Vail, C. and Borobia, M. UNEP, SPAW-RAC.
Ward, N., Bogomolni, A., Potter, C. (2013) A stranding guide to marine mammals of the Wider Caribbean region : An introduction field for stranding responders. Gecko Production Inc. ISBN : 978-1-891694-00-4.