title: Stranding Events of Kogia Whales along the Brazilian Coast.
abstract: The genus Kogia, which comprises only two extant species, Kogia sima and Kogia breviceps, represents one of the least known groups of cetaceans in the global ocean. In some coastal regions, however, stranding events of these species have been relatively common over the last decades. Stranding provides the opportunity to investigate the biology of these cetaceans and to explore the epidemiological aspects associated with the mortality of the organisms found on the beach. A number of disturbances (including pelagic fisheries, chemical pollution, boat strikes, and noise pollution) have been confirmed to pose a particular threat to the Kogia species. However, no study has yet investigated potential relationships between environmental conditions and stranding events. Here we analyse how a collection of environmental, physical, and biological variables, such as wind, sea surface temperature (SST), water depth, and chlorophyll-a, correlate to Kogia stranding events along the Brazilian coast. The results of our statistical analyses suggest that K. sima is more likely found in warm tropical waters, which provide an explanation for the high frequency of stranding in northeastern Brazilian coast. In contrast, K. breviceps appears to have a preference for temperate and productive waters. Wind speed results to be also an important factor for predicting Kogia strandings in Brazilian coast. Additionally, literature information in combination with our own data and analyses of stomach contents confirms that oceanic cephalopods constitute the primary nutritional source of both Kogia species. By using the available information as a qualitative proxy for habitat preference and feeding ecology, our study provides a novel and comprehensive assessment of Kogia stranding data in relation to environmental conditions along the Brazilian coast.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology - ZMT, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jailson F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology - ZMT, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Acevedo-Trejos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - UENF, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil.|Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública - ENSP, Departamento de Endemias, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz, Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Marinhos da Região dos Lagos - GEMM-Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Davi C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.affiliation: Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos - AQUASIS, SESC Iparana, Caucaia, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana C O
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Meirelles
authors.affiliation: Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos - AQUASIS, SESC Iparana, Caucaia, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cristine P N
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil.|Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Rio Grande do Sul - GEMARS, Osório, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Larissa R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisa e Gestão dos Recursos Pesqueiros do Litoral Sudeste e Sul - CEPSUL, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade - ICMBio, Itajaí, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberta A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil.|Laboratório de Sistemática e Ecologia de Aves e Mamíferos Marinhos - LABSMAR, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, Departamento de Zoologia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Janaína C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wickert
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil.|Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública - ENSP, Departamento de Endemias, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz, Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Marinhos da Região dos Lagos - GEMM-Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siciliano
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology - ZMT, Bremen, Germany.|Faculty of Physics & Earth Sciences, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Agostino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Merico
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017753:Ecosystem; D005843:Geography; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature; D014907:Whales / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D014919:Wind