Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our article about Tico, the rehabilitated manatee that traveled from Brazil to Venezuela.
The article entitled "The longest documented travel by a West Indian manatee" in Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom is accessible via https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315424000894. Carvalho, C. C. de, Simoes-Sousa, I. T., Santos, L. P., Choi-Lima, K. F., Pereira, L. G., Alves, M. D. de O., Santander, J., Carrero, A., Carvalho, V. L. (2024). The longest documented travel by a West Indian manatee. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 104, e99. doi:10.1017/S0025315424000894 Abstract In Northeastern Brazil, successful release programmes have been implemented for the conservation of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) since the 1990s. Recently, the non-government organization AQUASIS started releasing manatees in the state of Ceará, where oceanographic conditions and the absence of sheltered places pose new challenges for the release and monitoring of manatees. This research investigates the movement of a manatee named Tico, released in Icapuí, Ceará, Brazil, that travelled approximately 4017 km over 62 days through deep oceanic waters. Correlating Tico's trajectory and velocity with surface currents revealed the influence of the North Brazil Current (NBC) and its vortices on his movement. Tico crossed the diluted Amazon River plume with surface salinity as low as 26 g kg−1 in early August, potentially encountering areas of even lower salinity. Additionally, Tico experienced several storms, with significant rainfall during his journey, which may have provided freshwater. The erratic movement patterns and significant weight loss prompted the rescue of Tico on Isla la Blanquilla, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Tico is currently being temporarily housed in Parque Zoológico y Botánico Bararida in Venezuela. Understanding the nature of Tico's long-distance movement could help inform decisions about his future. AQUASIS proposes to return Tico to Brazil, a region with an ecologically and genetically distinct population from Venezuela, for a second release attempt, incorporating lessons learned from the first release. Furthermore, AQUASIS has the necessary human and financial resources to ensure the continuous monitoring of Tico during his readaptation to the wild. For any request or queries, please feel free to contact me at camilacarvalho.bi...@gmail.com. Kind regards, Camila -- Camila Carvalho de Carvalho Mestre em Oceanografia Biológica - PPGOB/FURG Grupo de Pesquisa em Mamíferos Aquáticos Amazônicos - IDSM skype: camila.carvalho.de.carvalho cel: +55 15 98151-9531
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