Milk compositions and fatty acid profiles in two coastal odontocete species from the southwest Atlantic Ocean

DENUNCIO, PABLO; PADULA, ANTONELLA D.; MANDIOLA, MARIA A.; GIARDINO, GISELA V.; RODRÍGUEZ, DIEGO H.; MACHOVSKY-CAPUSKA, GABRIEL E.

NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF MARINE AND FRESHWATER RESEARCH

RSNZ PUBLISHING

Año: 2023 p. 1 - 9

0028-8330

Lactation is a crucial reproductive stage in eutherian mammals andthe most energetically and nutritionally expensive part of the lifecycle. However, data on lactation parameters in cetaceans remainscattered and incomplete. In this paper, we present novelinformation on the nutritional compositions and fatty acid (FA)profiles of the milks of two small odontocete species that inhabitcoastal waters of the southwest Atlantic Ocean: the endangeredFranciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) and the Burmeister’sporpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis). Milk samples were collected fromthe fresh carcasses of two lactating females stranded inArgentina. The milk profiles of both species were consistent withexisting knowledge on odontocetes worldwide, beingcharacterised by low proportions of carbohydrates and highproportions of proteins and lipids. The FA profiles exhibited apredominance of long-chain FAs (≥18 C), with monounsaturatedFAs representing nearly 50% of the total FAs. In both species, themain FAs were 18:1n9 and 16:0, which are common FAs incoastal prey species in this region. These findings are particularlyrelevant for the conservation of Franciscana dolphins, which areat risk of extinction throughout their distribution range.