Records of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops spp., in New Caledonian waters

Philippe Borsa (1) , Serge Andréfouët (2) , Matthieu Juncker (3)

1 CoReUS2 - Biocomplexité des écosystèmes coralliens de l'Indo-Pacifique
2 IRD [Nouvelle-Calédonie] - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
3 OEIL - Observatoire de l'Environnement en Nouvelle-Calédonie

Observations of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops spp. were made opportunistically between 1993 and 2009 in New Caledonian waters (eastern Coral Sea, southwestern Pacific). Two morphotypes, defined from pigmentation patterns, were observed: morphotype-B individuals possessed a distinctive, extensive pale-grey blaze that indents the darker-grey dorsal cape towards the basis of the dorsal fin while morphotype-A individuals lacked it. Morphotype-A bottlenose dolphins occurred in pods of 2-10 individuals whereas pods of morphotype-B bottlenose dolphins comprised up to ~30 individuals. All morphotype-A bottlenose dolphin sightings were made in inshore waters, and all morphotype-B bottlenose dolphin sightings were made offshore. Wounds inflicted by large sharks, including the tiger shark, were documented for morphotype-A bottlenose dolphins. Leisure-boat traffic is likely to be the cause of additional injuries to bottlenose dolphins in the New Caledonian lagoon. Pigmentation patterns and correlated habitat preferences of morphotype-A and B bottlenose dolphins were consistent with those of, respectively, T. aduncus and T. truncatus in the western Coral Sea and elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

Keywords: Coral Sea; New Caledonia; Indo-Pacific; pigmentation patterns; habitat segregation; Tursiops aduncus; Tursiops truncatus

Domains: Biodiversity and Ecology

Philippe Borsa, Serge Andréfouët, Matthieu Juncker. Records of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops spp., in New Caledonian waters. Marine Biodiversity Records, 2012, 5, pp.e53. ⟨ird-00708068v2⟩