GUIANA DOLPHIN (SOTALIA GUIANENSIS) FISSION-FUSION

DYNAMICS IN PIPA BAY, BRAZIL

Diana G. Lunardi & Renata G. Ferreira
PPG em Psicobiologia, Centro de Biociências, UFRN
E-mail: lunardi.diana@gmail.com

Introduction
Fission-fusion dynamics can reflect individual decisions as
well as temporal and spatial variations in the organization of
conspecifics groups. The present study describes fission-
fusion dynamics for Guiana dolphin in Pipa Bay, RN, Brazil.
Our objective was to investigate the three dimensions of the
social system fission-fusion (Fig. 1) suggested by Aureli et
al. (2008, Curr. Anthropol.): (i) variation in spatial cohesion;
Alexandre Paro
(ii) variation in party size and (iii) variation in party
composition among group members.

Methods
Systematic observations of the Guiana dolphin were
made from an observatory located in an cliff about 25 m Alexandre Paro Fig. 1
above sea level that surround Madeiro Bay. The
samplings occurred from December 2007 to February
I= Input, O= Output, T= time
2009, during 176 days.

100
21 12 13 11 10

23 16
27 23

Results & Discussion

80
23
74

67
Frequency %

60 64
61
56

Fig. 2 40
We observed 658 aggregations in 933h of focal samplings. Independent of the
20 10-20m

2-10m
type of composition, more than 50% of the individuals remained with distances
0
ju ad ad/ju/calf ad/ju ad/calf
2m
between them of up to 2m (χ2=827.6, df=8, p<0.001, Fig. 2). New individuals
Aggregation composition
joined in the aggregation, mainly during the feeding and leaving during the
foraging (Fig. 3). Large aggregations (6-10 individuals) shown to be more
80
*

60
unstable than small aggregations (1-5 individuals), while aggregations of adults
were more steady than aggregations of adults and juveniles (Fig. 4).
Frequency %

40

Fig. 3 *

20

0
*
entry

exit
The proposal dynamics index – DI (temporal variation in party size) varied from
foraging feeding traveling

Behavioural States
socializing resting

0 (steady aggregations) to 0.67 (unstable aggregations) with average of

60 0.14±0.004. The aggregations of Guiana dolphin changed its composition
frequently, modifying the party size and the spatial cohesion, on average, to
40
each 20min.
Frequency %

Fig. 4
20 Composition

ad

ad/calf
Based on these factors, we suggest that the Guiana dolphin demonstrates high
0
0 0.01-0.1 0.11-0.2 0.21-0.3 0.31-0.4 >0.4
ad/ju
degree of fission-fusion dynamics, a pattern that is facilitated by the low costs
Dynamics index classes
of travel and that matches with observed in other coastal Odontoceti species
such as Tursiops sp. and Lagenorhynchus obscurus.
Support: