An unusual observation of a hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) anchored to a living bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was documented in an encounter with a group of about 80 dolphins during an ongoing long-term research program on cetaceans in the central Mediterranean Sea, Italy. The body of the hagfish was observed extruding from the blowhole of the bottlenose dolphin showing a stereotypical surfacing–breathing pattern. The observation lasted 2 h; photo-identification, acoustic, and behavioral data were collected. Succorant behaviors (i.e., “standing by”) from conspecifics and overlapping vocalizations during social phases were recorded. The dolphin was encountered again after 1 month in the same area without the hagfish, apparently in healthy conditions.
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24 March 2016
First record of a hagfish anchored to a living bottlenose dolphin in the Mediterranean Sea
Daniela Silvia Pace,
Barbara Mussi,
Angelo Miragliuolo,
Carlotta Vivaldi,
Giandomenico Ardizzone
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Journal of Mammalogy
Vol. 97 • No. 3
June 2016
Vol. 97 • No. 3
June 2016