Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
use dolphin genitals, eyes or other body parts for various purposes. This however is not very
common.
Natural Mortality
There are no registers on the natural predation of the bufeo. Best & Da Silva (1993)
indicated that the black caiman (
Melanusuchus niger
) and the jaguar (
Panthera onca
) are
potential predators. There is an anecdotic report in Bolivia that a crocodile (
Caiman yacare
)
was on the shore of a river with a bufeo calf in its jaws, but there is no certainty that the
crocodile killed the bufeo or if it was already dead (Leonardo Cuellar pers. com. 2009). The
author of the chapter observed a dead bufeo possibly caused by intra-species sexual
aggression in the Mamore River; the day before encountering the corpse, there was a lot of
behavior activity, plays, splashes and contact between them. These behaviors were observed
and heard the whole night. The next morning the dead individual was found, with bites marks
on the fins, cuts and lesions in the blow hole and internal bleeding. Similar sexual aggression
has also been observed in the Colombian Orinoquia (Fuentes
et al.
2000).
R
ESEARCH
P
RIORITIES
It is a priority to conduct long term studies on the abundance, distribution, social
organization, migration patterns, behavior and mortality of bufeos in different areas where
they are present. Standardized techniques should be used in these studies so that the results
can be replicated and easily compared, to identify threats to bufeo populations in the different
areas of their distribution.
It is important to conduct in-depth studies on the distribution and morphometrics and
genetics of bufeos in the Abuna Sub-basin, to evaluate Van Bree & Robineau's (1973)
proposition of the possible presence of
Inia g. geoffrensis.
If this is confirmed, Bolivia would
have two different river dolphin species. It would also be interesting to monitor the northern
area around the rapids or cachuelas, to verify the number of bufeos present and the possible
barriers that the rapids represent, because it is probable that during high water season they can
overcome the rapids.
Studies need to be carried out on the impacts of deforestation, as well as human
settlements along the rivers and the pollution caused by gold mines and the effects of the
industries and pesticides on water quality and fish populations. More comprehensive studies
on the effect of fishing and the impact on fish communities need to be undertaken.
A monitoring system that records natural and human caused mortalities among the bufeos
should also be initiated.
C
ONCLUSION AND
C
ONSERVATION
P
RIORITIES
It is necessary to improve the administration and the effectiveness of protected areas
where bufeos are located. It is also important to create laws that regulate water use in the head
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