Bottle nose dolphin populations in the Gulf of Cadiz and the Strait of Gibraltar are "genetically similar", however researches have now discovered that there is no contact between individuals of both communities.This was discovered by the studies of the Doñana Biological Station, the Higher Council for Scientific Research (EBD-CSIC) and the Association for Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans (Circe), with the participation of Cepsa, as reported by Circe in a note.
The researchers have found, using the technique of photo-identification, that the 332 bottlenose dolphins, identified in the Gulf of Cadiz, and the 450 previously identified in the Strait are "isolated pods among which there is no contact or exchange of individuals".
Bottlenose dolphins
The analyzes of skin samples, obtained by biopsy, also confirm that these individuals are fed from different reservoirs.
The researchers from the EBD-CSIC, Manuela G. Forero and Renaud de Stephanis, estimate that these data "indicate the existence of two ecotypes of bottlenose dolphins: a more oceanic, which feeds into the central canyon of the Gibraltar Strait (deepwater) and the other one, in the Gulf of Cadiz, found in more coastal waters, moving into Portuguese waters".
This geographical separation between the two populations, in his view, is "striking" and is a result "with important implications for management and conservation". "We are in front of two differentiate management units, with different storage potential problems", announced Circe.
A survery was carried out over three years within a project, entitled 'Abundance and Distribution of Apical Predators in the Gulf of Cadiz', which commenced in 2011 and during this period six surveys were conducted. On several occasions during the project, pods of Bottle nose dolphins were located between Ayamonte (Huelva) and Tarifa (Cadiz).
Well. I found this news very interesting. I did not know it…; I though that all the dolphins were equal.
I should love to sail in a little ship, in order to see the dolphins, in the Strait; but the problem is that I get seasick in ships.
But I hope that you can come to Tarifa, for example, where you can go in a ship, very famous, whip goes out from the port of Tarifa to the Strait.ç
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
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