Carol Meirelles

Marine mammal, especially sirenians and dolphins, spatial ecology, habitat and distribution modelling, extinction risk assessment, demographics (abundance and survival), behaviour, stranding, rehabilitation, conservation planning

Biography

I have been immersed in the field of marine mammal conservation biology, specifically focusing on the Guiana dolphin and the West Indian manatee, since 1999. My commitment to this cause is evident in my academic pursuits, having dedicated both my M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses to the comprehensive exploration of crucial ecological and demographic aspects of a small Guiana dolphin population residing in a heavily urbanized and impacted area in northeastern Brazil. The outcomes of my research have played a fundamental role in informing public policies and environmental licensing processes in the region, thereby enhancing the protection of this endangered population.

Notably, my work has extended beyond Guiana dolphin research and conservation, as I actively engaged in the study, rescue, and rehabilitation of manatees in Brazil. During this period, I took on the responsibility of coordinating the Marine Mammal Program at Aquasis (www.aquasis.org), a important NGO dedicated to preventing the extinction of endangered species.

My collaboration with fellow manatee experts across South America has been instrumental in various aspects, including assessing the extinction risk, identifying feeding habits, investigating pathological findings, determining mortality causes, and contributing to taxonomic and genetic studies. As a member of the IUCN Sirenia Specialist Group, I am actively involved in the ongoing assessment of the extinction risk faced by the Brazilian West Indian manatee subpopulation.

In my current role as a Research Associate at the Marine Mammal Research Unit, I am at the forefront of the Alliance for Manatees Project. This initiative, generously supported by the Nuremberg Zoo, Pairi Daiza Foundation, and YaquPacha, focuses on investigating the current distribution and suitable habitats of the West Indian manatee in South America. Collaborating with 23 esteemed manatee knowledge holders, we will employ advanced habitat modeling techniques to analyze manatee presence data. Subsequently, we will host an in-person workshop in Brazil to validate our findings and collectively construct a map identifying priority areas for manatee conservation. The resulting documents will be shared with decision-makers to guide conservation actions throughout South America.

Selected Publications:

Meirelles, A.C.O., Carvalho, V.L, Silva, C.P.N. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire: hypotheses for the high incidence of West Indian manatee calf strandings on the Brazilian semi-arid coast. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, In press.

Lima, C. S., de Magalhães, R. F., Camargo, A., de Thoisy, B., Marmontel, M., Carvalho, V. L., Meirelles, A.C.O., & Santos, F. R. Evolutionary Dynamics of American Manatee Species on the Northern Coast of South America: Origins and Maintenance of an Interspecific Hybrid Zone.Evolutionary Biology, 2024.

Meirelles, A.C.O., Choi-Lima, K.F., Vila Nova, T.M.C., Monteiro-Filho, E.L.A., Lotufo, T.M.C. Habitat use of Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis in a heavily urbanized embayment. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2023.

Meirelles, A.C.O., Choi-Lima, K.F., Vila Nova, T.M.C., Monteiro-Filho, E.L.A., Lotufo, T.M.C. Abundance and effect of health status on apparent survival of Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis, in an open embayment in Northeastern Brazil. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2022.

Meirelles, A.C.O., Lima, D., Alves, M.D.O., Borges, J.C.G., Marmontel, M., Carvalho, V.L., Santos, F.R. Don’t let me down: West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus, is still critically endangered in Brazil. Journal for Nature Conservation, 2022.

Moreira, S., Meirelles, A.C.O., Carvalho, V.L., Rêgo, P.S., Araripe, J. Molecular confirmation of twinning in the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus). Biota Neotropica, 2022.

Silva, V.S., Skueresky, N., Lopes, F., Koch, T.K., Ott, P.H., Siciliano, S., Barreto, A.S., Secchi, E.R.,Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. Integrating morphology and DNA barcoding to assess cetacean diversity in Brazil. Mammal Research, 2021.

Meirelles, A.C.O.; Campos, A.A.; Fonteles-Filho, A. Occurrence, group size and site fidelity of Sotalia guianensis (Cetartiodactyla, Delphinidae) in an artificially sheltered beach in northern Brazilian coast. Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences, 2020.

Vidal, L.G.; Silva, M.V.; Alonso, M.B.; Feo, M.L.; Corcellas, C.; Bisi, T.L.; Flach, L.; Fragoso, A.B.L.; Silva, F.J.L.; Carvalho, V.L.; Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. Pyrethroid insecticides along the Southwestern Atlantic coast: Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) as a bioindicator. Science of the Total Environment, 2020.

Lima, C.S.; Magalhães, R.F.; Marmontel, M.; Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. A hybrid swarm of manatees along the Guianas coastline, a peculiar environment under the influence of the Amazon River plume. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 2019.

Oliveira, L.R.; Fraga, L.D.; Ott, P.H.; Siciliano, S.; Lopes, F.; Almeirda, R.; Milmann, L.; Danilewics, D.; Emin-Lima, N.R.; Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. Population structure, phylogeography and genetic diversity of the common bottlenose dolphin in the tropical and subtropical southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Journal of Mammalogy, 2019.

Cypriano-Souza, A.L.; De Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. Rare or cryptic? The first report of an Omura’s whale (Balaenoptera omurai) in the South Atlantic Ocean. Marine Mammal Science, 2017.

Choi-Lima, K.F.; Campos, T.M.; Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. Using traditional ecological knowledge to prospect the distribution of the Antillean manatee Trichechus manatus manatus (Sirenia: Trichechidae) in the states of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences, 2017.

Barros, H.M.D.R.; Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. Cranial and chromosomal geographic variation in manatees (Mammalia: Sirenia: Trichechidae) with the description of the Antillean manatee karyotype in Brazil. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 2017.

Meirelles, A.C.O.; Campos, T.M.; Marcondes, M.C.C. et al. Reports of strandings and sightings of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in northeastern Brazil and Brazilian oceanic islands. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 2016.

Alonso, M.B.; Feo, M.L.; Corcellas, C.; Gago-Ferrero, P.; Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. Toxic heritage: Maternal transfer of pyrethroid insecticides and sunscreen agents in dolphins from Brazil. Environmental Pollution (1987), 2015.

Santos-Neto, E.B.; Azevedo-Silva, C.E.; Bisi, T.L.; Santos, J.; Meirelles, A.C.O. et al. Organochlorine concentrations (PCBs, DDTs, HCHs, HCB and MIREX) in delphinids stranded at the northeastern Brazil. Science of the Total Environment, 2014.

Meirelles, A.C.O.; Choi, K.F.; Oliveira, M.S. First reported stranding of a dwarf minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata (LACÉPÈDE, 1804), on the coast of Ceará, northeastern Brazil. Arquivos de Ciências do Mar, 2011.

Meirelles, A.C.O.; Ribeiro, A.C.; Silva, C.P.N.; Soares-Filho, A.A. Records of Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis, in the State of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 2010.

Meirelles, A.C.O.; Monteiro-Neto, C.; Martins, A.M.A.; et al. Cetacean Strandings on the coast of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil (1992-2005). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2009.

Choi, K. F.; Campos, T.M.; Meirelles, A.C.O. et al.. Design of a wildlife refuge area for the conservation of the West Indian manatee. The Brazilian Journal of Nature Conservation, 2009.

Meirelles, A. C. O. Mortality of the Antillean manatee, Trichechus manatus manatus, in Ceará State, north-eastern Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2008.

Meirelles, A.C.O.; Barros, H.M.D.R. Plastic debris ingested by a rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis, stranded alive in northeastern Brazil. Biotemas (UFSC), 2007.