Greetings MARMAM!
I am pleased to announce the publication of our most recent
article online: “A Review of the Aquatic Mammals of Belize” in the journal
Aquatic
Mammals.Ramos, E.
A., Castelblanco-Martínez, N., Niño-Torres, C., Jenko, K., & Auil Gomez, N.
A. (2016). A review of the aquatic mammals of Belize. Aquatic Mammals, 42(4),
476-493, DOI 10.1578/AM.42.4.2016.476Characterizing
species occurrence, abundance, and distribution is critical to the management
of natural resources and the conservation of biodiversity. In the Western
Caribbean, little information exists on the occurrence of aquatic mammals along
the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and adjacent aquatic ecosystems. Herein,
we present the first comprehensive review of aquatic mammals encountered in the
marine and freshwater habitats of Belize. To determine which aquatic mammal
species occur in Belizean waters, we conducted an extensive review of published
and unpublished reports of aquatic mammals. We located 163 unique reports from
museum and animal collections, journal articles, theses, news reports,
conference proceedings, institutional reports, and verified accounts from
personal observations. Our review confirms the presence of 17 aquatic mammal
species in Belize: 15 cetaceans (Megaptera novaeangliae, Balaenoptera
physalus, Ziphius cavirostris, Physeter macrocephalus, Kogia breviceps, Orcinus
orca, Pseudorca crassidens, Globicephala macrorhynchus, Peponocephala electra,
Stenella attenuata, S. clymene, S. frontalis, S. longirostris, Steno
bredanensis, and Tursiops truncatus), one sirenian (Trichechus
manatus manatus), and one carnivore (Lontra longicaudis annectens).
Our findings provide the most up-to-date list of aquatic mammal presence in
Belize. Given the limited data points obtained for most identified species, we
recommend that systematic studies be conducted to investigate the status of the
variety of aquatic mammals in the region to effectively monitor
populations and devise strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of
anthropogenic activity and climate change-related ecosystem shifts.The article
is available on www.AquaticMammals.org.
Email me directly if you are interested in a copy.Thanks!Sincerely,Eric Angel
RamosPhD Candidate in Animal Behavior & Comparative PsychologyThe Graduate
Center, City University of New yorkeric.angel.ra...@gmail.com
era...@gradcenter.cuny.edu
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