NEW RECORDS OF COMMON DOLPHINS (CETACEA: DELPHINIDAE) IN DEEP WATERS OF THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN

Abstract

Common dolphins (genus Delphinus) constitute one of the most widely distributed small cetaceans commonly found world-wide in temperate, tropical and subtropical seas. In the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean region, they are distributed from the north of Brazil to central Argentina in waters from 18m to 1435m of depth. This paper presents three new records of common dolphins in Uruguayan deep waters (>2800m). These records represent the maximum depths known for the genus Delphinus in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean and constitute an extension of its longitudinal distribution range.