ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Megafauna
Social and Environmental Drivers of Foraging Behavior in Guiana Dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in Northeastern Brazil
Provisionally accepted
Juliana Lopez Marulanda1,2*
Anna N Osiecka1,3
Rose Emilia Maceido de Quieroz4Flávio Jose De Lima Silva5- 1Chaire ActiFS, Presage Institute, Jean Monnet University, Lyon University, Saint-Etienne, France
- 2Fundacion Macuaticos Colombia, Medellin, Colombia
- 3Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin Institute for Theoretical Biology, Berlin, Germany
- 4Universidade dos Acores Departamento de Biologia, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
- 5Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoró, Brazil
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Understanding how environmental and anthropogenic factors influence foraging behavior is essential to assess the vulnerability of coastal dolphin populations. We investigated the foraging dynamics of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in Praia do Madeiro Bay (Northeastern Brazil), focusing on both the frequency and collective structure of foraging events in relation to temporal, spatial, and boat-related variables. A total of 488 foraging events were recorded between March and June 2008, covering all daylight hours, tidal stages, and bay zones. A negative binomial model showed that foraging frequency was significantly lower under engine-on conditions, decreased seasonally from March to June 2008, and peaked during early morning hours. A complementary binomial model revealed that the probability of collective foraging decreased in some zones and later in the season, but increased when prey performed escape jumps. Boat presence also tended to enhance group coordination when engines were turned off. Together, these results indicate that S. guianensis flexibly adjusts its activity and coordination patterns in response to environmental cues and local vessel dynamics. The strong influence of boat traffic on both foraging frequency and coordination underscores the species' sensitivity to human disturbance and highlights the need to regulate tourism activities within key feeding habitats.
Keywords: behavioral plasticity, Cetacean ecology, Coastal ecosystems, Collective foraging, Social Behavior
Received: 29 Aug 2025; Accepted: 04 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lopez Marulanda, Osiecka, Maceido de Quieroz and De Lima Silva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Juliana Lopez Marulanda
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