Bublichenko A.G. 2015. Marine mammals observations in the Gulf of Guayaquil on the south coast of Ecuador in May–June 2013 // Russian J. Theriol. Vol.14. No.1: 57–64 [in English].
Andrew G. Bublichenko [abublichenko@mail.ru], Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Universitetskaya nab. 1, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russia.
ABSTRACT. Marine mammal (MM) observations were carried out during seismic survey of a 37 km2 area in water depths ranging from 37–58 m in the Gulf of Guayaquil in May–June 2013. Twenty-one encounters with individual MMs or groups of MMs were recorded during 216 hours of observer effort. Bottlenose dolphins were most frequently seen, but observers also recorded the presence of striped dolphins and of humpback and killer whales and of sea lions. This short paper presents companion meteorological observations and considers the influence of weather and other environmental conditions on the frequency of the MM encounters.
KEY WORDS: Ecuador, the Gulf of Guayaquil, Santa Clara Island, marine mammals.