Date of Award

4-6-2023

Document Type

Honors Thesis

First Advisor

Daniel Gonzalez-Socoloske

Abstract

Preservation of regional biological diversity requires an understanding of the inhabiting species. However, species surveys are often difficult due to a a lack of resources.  This study utilized citizen science, which involves the use of non-scientists for data collection, to summarize the marine mammal sightings  in the Bay Islands of Honduras (BIH). After data filtration, thirteen species of marine mammals were identified in the 509 observations records, of which 92% originated from citizen science sources.  These included four species that did not have a previous record in the BIH, two of which were first reports for the country of Honduras: minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens). Antillean manatees were known to occur in BIH from archeological evidence and historical records.  However, they had been reported  as locally extinct in a more recent study. This study found six records of Antillean manatees in both Utila and Roatan  between 2010 and 2021.  Data from the islands of Roatan and Utila represented 93% of the observations. Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) and spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) were the most abundant species.  Our study provides a much-needed baseline of the diversity of marine mammals in the BIH and reveals the power of citizen science to close knowledge gaps  regarding species distributions and diversity.

Subject Area

Citizens' associations; Biodiversity--Honduras; Zoogeography--Honduras; Fishes--Geographical distribution

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Biology Commons

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