scholarly journals Occurrence of Brucella ceti in stranded bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus coincides with calving season

2020 ◽  
Vol 141 ◽  
pp. 185-193
Author(s):  
WE McFee ◽  
D Wu ◽  
K Colegrove ◽  
K Terio ◽  
L Balthis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Tursiops Truncatus ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Marine Bacterium ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Terrestrial Species ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Calving Season

Brucellosis is a disease caused by the Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium Brucella spp. In terrestrial species, this zoonotic bacterium is a global public health risk, but there is also concern over the zoonotic potential of marine forms, such as B. ceti, which affects cetaceans. Due to the detection of B. ceti in samples from bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus during the 2010-2014 Gulf of Mexico Unusual Mortality Event, a long-term study of the prevalence of Brucella in stranded bottlenose dolphins from South Carolina, USA, was conducted. From 2012 through 2017, 282 stranded bottlenose dolphins were tested for B. ceti via real-time PCR. Nearly 32% of the dolphins tested positive in at least one sample (brain, lung, blowhole swab). Very little information exists in the literature on the occurrence of Brucella spp. in marine mammals, though in terrestrial species, such as cattle and elk, higher prevalence is often reported in spring. Similar results were found in this study with the peak occurrence being between March and June, a known period of calving in South Carolina. Results from this study provide important insights into the occurrence of the marine bacterium B. ceti.

scholarly journals Strand-feeding by coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Jose Jiménez ◽  
Juan José Alava
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
South America ◽  
Tursiops Truncatus ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Predatory Strategy ◽  
Gulf Of Guayaquil ◽  
Term Field

Strand-feeding as a predatory strategy was first observed in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, inhabiting waters of Spartina marshes of South Carolina and Georgia, United States. While a substantial body of documented observations exists for many regions of the world, current evidences and photo-documentation of these types of foraging behaviors by bottlenose dolphins in the Pacific coast of South America are scarce. To the best of our knowledge, behaviors resembling strand-feeding by bottlenose dolphins have been described very briefly without supporting photos in the inner estuary of the Gulf of Guayaquil. As a part of a long-term field study (2001-2011) on photo-identification, population ecology and monitoring of the bottlenose dolphin in the El Morro Mangrove and Wildlife Refuge, we provide some insights on its conservation, and photo-documented the occurrence of strand-feeding as a recurrent behavioral foraging tactic in this region of South America.

Inshore and offshore bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) communities distinguished by association patterns near Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly A Rossbach ◽  
Denise L Herzing
Keyword(s):  
Bottlenose Dolphin ◽  
Tursiops Truncatus ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Association Patterns ◽  
Simple Ratio ◽  
Water Depths

Little is known about the behavior of offshore dolphin populations. Our purpose was to distinguish and describe stable social groups of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) between inshore and offshore West End, Grand Bahama Island (26°42'N, 79°00'W). Photoidentification was conducted from May to September, 1994 to 1996. A simple ratio index described association patterns between dolphins. Multidimensional scaling of association indices (n = 1711 dolphin pairs) distinguished two dolphin communities consisting of 28 dolphins (19 of known sex) found inshore and 15 dolphins (12 of known sex) found greater than or equal to 27 km offshore. Eight of the 15 offshore dolphins were opportunistically photographed in the same region between 1986 and 1990. The two communities were found at different water depths (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.01), over distinct bottom types (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.01), and used different bottom-foraging strategies. Long-term site fidelity of up to 10 years and repeated dolphin associations of up to 8 years occurred greater than or equal to 27 km from shore. Dolphins sighted greater than or equal to 15 times averaged 48 associates (SD = 11, n = 28). A dolphin's closest associate was of the same gender 74% of the time. This study is the first to report long-term site fidelity and association patterns of bottlenose dolphins found far from shore.

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