Dear colleagues,
My co-authors and I are pleased to announce a recent publication in Marine
Mammal Science:
Bouveroux Th, Caputo M., Froneman PW & Plön S. 2018. Largest reported groups
for the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) found in Algoa Bay,
South Africa: Trends and potential drivers. Marine Mammal Science. DOI:
10.1111/mms.12471.
Abstract:
This study investigates how group size of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins
(Tursiops aduncus) changes temporally, spatially, and/or with predominant
behavior at two discreet sites along the Eastern Cape coastline of South
Africa: Algoa Bay and the Wild Coast. The mean group size of bottlenose
dolphins was large with an average of 52 animals. Significantly larger groups
were observed in Algoa Bay ( = 60, range = 1–600) than off the Wild Coast ( =
32.9, range = 1–250). In Algoa Bay, the mean group size increased significantly
over the study period, from an average 18 animals in 2008 to 76 animals in
2016. Additionally, the largest average and maximum group sizes ever reported
both in South Africa and worldwide, were recorded in Algoa Bay (maximum group
size = 600). Neither season nor behavior had a significant effect on mean group
size at both sites. Similarly environmental variables such as the depth and
substrate type also had no influence on group size. It remains unclear which
ecological drivers, such as predation risk and food availability, are leading
to the large groups observed in this area, and further research on abundance
and distribution of both predators and prey is necessary.
The paper is available online here:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12471/full
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12471/full>
Feel free to contact me directly for a PDF copy: tbouver...@gmail.com
<mailto:tbouver...@gmail.com>
Best regards,
Thibaut Bouveroux
Marine Apex Predator Research Unit
Nelson Mandela University (NMU)
PO Box 77000
Port Elizabeth, 6031
South Africa
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