Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Aquatic Mammals Used in Traditional Folk Medicine: A Global Analysis

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Animals in Traditional Folk Medicine

Abstract

Aquatic mammals are medium- to large-sized animals, which have been the source of large amounts of subproducts—among which medicines—to humans since ancient times. They are also among the most threatened animal taxa worldwide. This chapter provides an overview of the global use of aquatic mammals in traditional folk medicine and the implications for conservation, with emphasis on species of the orders Cetacea, Sirenia, and Carnivora. At least 24 species of aquatic mammals are used in traditional medicine worldwide, although all these species are listed in the IUCN Red List, including one species categorized as Critically Endangered, three as Endangered, eight as Vulnerable. The medicinal use probably does not pose a major threat to most aquatic mammals; however, their exploitation for medicinal purposes is troubling, as it constitutes an additional and persistent impact for a group of animals that has suffered major direct impacts, especially hunting (for food and fur) and habitat loss, as well as impacts related to global warming.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adeola MO (1992) Importance of wild Animals and their parts in the culture, religious festivals, and traditional medicine, of Nigeria. Environ Conserv 19(2):125–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agassiz L, Agassiz ECC (1868) A journey in Brazil, 1st edn. Ticknor and Fields, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Alie K (2008) Whales: more valuable alive than dead? A question for decision makers in eastern caribbean whale-watching destinations. Bus finance Econ Emerg Econ 3(1):177–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN (2006) Uso e comércio de animais para fins medicinais e mágico-religiosos no Norte e Nordeste do Brasil. DSc. Thesis, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba

    Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN (2009) Fauna used in popular medicine in Northeast Brazil. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 5(1):1–30. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-5-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Alves H (2011) The faunal drugstore: animal-based remedies used in traditional medicines in Latin America. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 7(1):1–9. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-7-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Rosa IL (2006) From cnidarians to mammals: the use of animals as remedies in fishing communities in NE Brazil. J Ethnopharmacol 107:259–276

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Rosa IL (2007a) Zootherapy goes to town: the use of animal-based remedies in urban areas of NE and N Brazil. J Ethnopharmacol 113:541–555. doi:10.1016/j.jep2007.07.015

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Rosa IL (2007b) Zootherapeutic practices among fishing communities in North and Northeast Brazil: a comparison. J Ethnopharmacol 111:82–103. doi:10.1016/j.jep2006.10.033

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Rosa IL (2008) Use of Tucuxi Dolphin Sotalia fluviatilis for medicinal and magic/religious purposes in North of Brazil. Human Ecology 36:443–447. doi:10.1007/s10745-008-9174-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Rosa IL (2010) Trade of animals used in Brazilian traditional medicine: trends and implications for conservation. Hum Ecol 38(5):691–704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Rosa IL, Santana GG (2007) The role of animal-derived remedies as complementary medicine in Brazil. Bioscience 57(11):949–955

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Silva CC, Barboza RRD, Souto WMS (2009a) Zootherapy as an alternative therapeutic in South America. J Altern Med Res 1(1):21–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Léo Neto NA, Brooks SE, Albuquerque UP (2009b) Commercialization of animal-derived remedies as complementary medicine in the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil. J Ethnopharmacol 124(3):600–608

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Souto WMS, Barboza RRD (2010) Primates in traditional folk medicine: a world overview. Mamm Rev 40(2):155–180. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2010.00158.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Barbosa JAA, Santos SLDX, Souto WMS, Barboza RRD (2011) Animal-based remedies as complementary medicines in the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine 2011 (ID 179876):1–15. doi:10.1093/ecam/nep134

  • Ashwell D, Walston N (2008) An overview of the use and trade of plants and animals in traditional medicine systems in Cambodia, 1st edn. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Greater Mekong Programme, Ha Noi, Vietnam

    Google Scholar 

  • Baird IG (1995) Lao PDR: an overview of traditional medicines derived from wild animals and plants. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayúgar AC (2007) Conocimiento y comparación del uso de la fauna silvestre en dos comunidades Ejidales del municipio de Hueytamalco, Puebla, Mexico. MSc. dissertation, Instituto de Ecologia, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Google Scholar 

  • Beasley I, Davidson P (2001) Abundance, distribution and conservation management of marine mammals in Cambodia’s coastal waters. Wildlife Conservation Society, Phnom Penh, Camboja

    Google Scholar 

  • Begossi A, Braga FMS (1992) Food taboos and folk medicine among fishermen from the Tocantins River (Brazil). Amazoniana 12:101–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Bensky D, Gamble A, Kaptchuk T (1993) Chinese herbal medicine materia medica revised edition, 1st edn. Eastland Press, Seattle

    Google Scholar 

  • Best RC, Silva VMF (1989) Biology, status and conservation of Inia geoffrensis in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins. In: Perrin WF, Brownell RL Jr, Zhou K, Liu J (eds) Biology and conservation of the river dolphins, 1st edn. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  • Cascudo CL (1962) Dicionário do folclore brasileiro, 2nd edn. Ed. do Instituto Nacional do Livro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • CITES (2001) List of animal species used in traditional medicine. CITES. http://www.cites.org/eng/com/AC/17/E17i-05Rev.doc. Accessed 14 Jan 2011

  • CITES (2002a) List of species traded for medicinal purposes. http://www.cites.org/eng/com/ac/18/E18-13-1.pdf

  • CITES (2002b) Trade in products, possibly used as medicinals, of the species listed in document AC18 Doc. 13.1. CITES. http://www.cites.org/common/com/ac/18/E18i-08.doc

  • CITES (2011) CITES appendix. http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

  • Colten RH, Arnold JE (1998) Prehistoric marine mammal hunting on California’s northern Channel Islands. Am Antiq 63(4):679–701

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM (1999a) Healing with animals in Feira de Santana City, Bahia, Brazil. J Ethnopharmacol 65:225–230

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM (1999b) Barata é um santo remédio : introdução à zooterapia popular no estado da Bahia, 1st edn. EdUEFS, Feira de Santana, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM (1999c) Recursos animais utilizados na medicina tradicional dos índios Pankararé que habitam o Nordeste do Estado da Bahia, Brazil. Actual Biol 21(70):69–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM (1999d) Traditional use and sale of animals as medicines in Feira de Santana City, Bahia, Brazil. Indig Knowl Dev Monit 7(2):6–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM (2000) Zootherapy Based Medicinal Traditions in Brazil. Honey Bee 11 (2)

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM (2004) Implications and applications of folk zootherapy in the state of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil. Sustain Dev 12(3):161–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM (2005) Animal-based medicines: biological prospection and the sustainable use of zootherapeutic resources. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 77(1):33–43

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM, Alves RRN (2010) Estado da arte da zooterapia popular no Brasil. In: Costa-Neto EM, Alves RRN (eds) Zooterapia: os Animais na medicina popular brasileira, vol 2., 1NUPEEA, Recife, Brazil, pp 13–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM, Dias CV, Melo MN (2002) O conhecimento ictiológico tradicional dos pescadores da cidade de Barra, região do Médio São Francisco, Estado da Bahia, Brasil. Acta Scientiarum 24(2):561–572

    Google Scholar 

  • Cravalho MA (1999) Shameless creatures: an ethnozoology of the Amazon River dolphin. Ethnology 38:47–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crespo EA, Hall MA (2002) Interactions between aquatic mammals and humans in the context of ecosystem management. In: Evans PGH, Raga JA (eds) Marine mammals: biology and conservation, 1st edn. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, pp 463–490

    Google Scholar 

  • Culik BM (2004) Review of small cetaceans: distribution, behaviour, migration and threats. Marine mammal action plan/regional seas reports and studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dourojeanni M (1990) Amazonia, Qué hacer?, 1st edn. Centro de Estudios Teológicos de la Amazonia, Iquitos, Peru

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudgeon D, Arthington AH, Gessner MO, Kawabata ZI, Knowler DJ, Lévêque C, Naiman RJ, Prieur-Richard AH, Soto D, Stiassny MLJ (2006) Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 81(2):163–182

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Earle M (1996) Ecological interactions between cetaceans and fisheries. In: Simmonds MP, Hutchinson JD (eds) The conservation of whales and dolphins: science and practice, vol 1. Wiley, Chichester, pp 167–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Eason C (2008) Fabulous creatures, mythical monsters, and animal power symbols: a handbook, 1st edn. Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Kamali HH (2000) Folk medicinal use of some animal products in Central Sudan. J Ethnopharmacol 72:279–282

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis R (2003) The empty Ocean. Island Press/Shearwater Books, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Enqin Z (1991) Rare chinese materia medica, 1st edn. Science Press, Shanghai, China

    Google Scholar 

  • Gravena W, Hrbek T, Silva VMF, Farias IP (2008) Amazon River dolphin love fetishes: from folklore to molecular forensics. Marine Mamm Sci 24(4):969–978. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2008.00237.x

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hildebrandt WR, Jones TL (1992) Evolution of marine mammal hunting: a view from the California and Oregon coasts. J Anthropol Archaeol 11(4):360–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hines E, Adulyanukosol K, Charuchinda M, Phay S, Leng SA (2004) Conservation of the Dugong (Dugong dugon) on the Eastern Coast of the Gulf of Thailand (Thailand and Cambodia): final report, 1st edn. Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (Hong Kong)/Project Aware (Austrália), Aberdeen, Hong Kong/Sydney, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Ihimaera W (1987) The whale rider reed books. Auckland, New Zealand

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (2011) IUCN red list of threatened species. http://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 30 Sept 2011

  • Jiangsu New Medical College (2002) The chinese materia medica dictionary, 2nd edn. Jiangsu New Medical College, Shanghai, China

    Google Scholar 

  • Karczmarski L (2000) Conservation and management of humpback dolphins: the South African perspective. Oryx 34(3):207–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein RG, Cruz-Uribe K (1996) Exploitation of large bovids and seals at middle and later stone age sites in South Africa. J Hum Evol 31(4):315–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamb FB (1967) The fishermen’s porpoise. In: Eleanore D, Clark M (eds) The dolphin smile: twenty-nine centuries of dolphin lore, 1st edn. MacMillan, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Leatherwood S, Reeves RR (1997) Conservación de los delfines de rio, Inia geoffrensis y Sotalia fluviatilis, en la Amazonia Peruana. In: Fang TG, Bodmer RE, Aquino R, Valqui MH (eds) Manejo de Fauna Silvestre en la Amazonia, vol 1. UNAP, La Paz, Bolivia

    Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre LW, Marmontel M, Reid JP, Rathbun GB, Domning DP (2011) Status and biogeography of the West Indian manatee. In: Woods CA, Sergile FE (eds) Biogeography of the West Indies, 1st edn. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 425–474

    Google Scholar 

  • Léo Neto NA, Alves RRN (2010) A Natureza sagrada do Candomblé: análise da construção mística acerca da Natureza em terreiros de candomblé no Nordeste de Brasil. Interciencia 35(8):568–574

    Google Scholar 

  • Lev E (2003) Traditional healing with animals (zootherapy): medieval to present-day Levantine practice. J Ethnopharmacol 85:107–118. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(02)00377-X

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lev E (2006a) Healing with animals in the Levant from the 10th to the 18th century. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2(11):9. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-2-11

    Google Scholar 

  • Lev E (2006b) Ethno-diversity within current ethno-pharmacology as part of Israeli traditional medicine a review. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2(4):1–12. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-2-4

    Google Scholar 

  • Lev E, Amar Z (2000) Ethnopharmacological survey of traditional drugs sold in Israel at the end of the 20th century. J Ethnopharmacol 72:191–205

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loch C, Marmontel M, Simões-Lopes PC (2009) Conflicts with fisheries and intentional killing of freshwater dolphins (Cetacea: Odontoceti) in the Western Brazilian Amazon. Biodivers Conserv 18(14):3979–3988

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKinney LC (1946) Animal substances in materia medica. J Hist Med Allied Sci 1(1):149–170

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Malik S, Wilson PJ, Smith RJ, Lavigne DM, White BN (1997) Pinniped penises in trade: a molecular-genetic investigation. Conserv Biol 11(6):1365–1374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall NT (1998) Searching for a cure, conservation of medicinal wildlife resources in East and Southern Africa, 1st edn. TRAFFIC International, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin AR, Silva VMF, Salmon DL (2004) Riverine habitat preferences of botos (Inia geoffrensis) and tucuxis (Sotalia fluviatilis) in the central Amazon. Marine Mamm Sci 20(2):189–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKillop HI (1985) Prehistoric exploitation of the manatee in the Maya and circum-Caribbean areas. World Archaeol 16(3):337–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNiven IJ, Bedingfield AC (2008) Past and present marine mammal hunting rates and abundances: dugong (Dugong dugon) evidence from Dabangai Bone Mound, Torres Strait. J Archaeol Sci 35(2):505–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menegaldo LR (2008) Etnoconhecimento como parte e instrumento de gestão ambiental dos mamíferos aquáticos no Projeto PIATAM (Amazônia Central). Monografia de Especialização em Gestão Ambiental, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Monks GG (2005) The exploitation and cultural importance of sea mammals, 1st edn. Oxbow Books, Oakville

    Google Scholar 

  • Morell V (1997) Looking for Big Pink. Int Wildl 27:26–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Moura FBP, Marques JGW (2008) Zooterapia popular na Chapada Diamantina: uma Medicina incidental? Ciência & Saúde Coletiva 13:2179–2188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson G (1990) The endangered species handbook, 1st edn. The Animal Welfare Institute, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Northridge SP, Hofman RJ (1999) Marine mammal interactions with fisheries. In: Twiss JR, Reeves RR (eds) Conservation and management of marine mammals, 1st edn. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, pp 99–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogden A (1941) The california sea otter trade 1784–1848. University of california publications in history 26. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Perrin WF, Wursig B, Thewissen JGM (2008) Encyclopedia of marine mammals, 1st edn. Academic Press, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry A (2000) A Global survey of marine medicinals. In: Moreau M-A, Hall HJ, Vincent ACJ (eds) Proceedings of the first international workshop on the management and culture of marine species used in traditional medicines, 1st edn. Project Seahorse, Montreal, Canada, pp 35–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Perveen F (2009) A beauty of Indus River: the Indus dolphin, its protection in Pakistan—a beauty of Indus River: the Indus River dolphin, Platanista minor Owen, its threats and protection in N-WFP, Pakistan, 1st edn. VDM Verlag, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Google Scholar 

  • Plagányi ÉE, Butterworth DS (2002) Competition with fisheries. In: Perrin WF, Würsig B, Thewissen H (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals, 1st edn. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 268–273

    Google Scholar 

  • Pompa S, Ehrlich PR, Ceballos G (2011) Global distribution and conservation of marine mammals. Proc Nat Acad Sci 108(33):13600–13605

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Porcasi JF, Fujita H (2000) The dolphin hunters: a specialized prehistoric maritime adaptation in the Southern California Channel Islands and Baja California. Am Antiq 65(3):543–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell JA (1996) The distribution and biology of the West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis Link, 1795), 1st edn. United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Seas Programme, Oceans and Coastal Areas, Nairobi, Kenya

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell JA, Kouadio A (2008) Trichechus senegalensis. In: IUCN Red list of threatened species (2011). IUCN. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/22104/0. Accessed 10 Aug 2011

  • Pujol J (1993) Natur Africa: The herbalist handbook, 1st edn. Jean Pujol Natural Healers Foundation, Durban, South Africa

    Google Scholar 

  • Quave CL, Lohani U, Verde A, Fajardo J, Rivera D, Obón C, Valdes A, Pieroni A (2010) A comparative assessment of zootherapeutic remedies from selected areas in Albania, Italy, Spain and Nepal. J Ethnobiol 30(1):92–125

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reeves RR, Smith BD, Crespo A, di Sciara GN (2003) Dolphins, whales and porpoises: 2002–2010 conservation action plan for the world’s cetaceans, 1st edn. IUCN/SSC Cetacean Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Reeves RR, Jefferson TA, Karczmarski L, Laidre K, O’Corry-Crowe G, Rojas-Bracho L, Secchi ER, Slooten E, Smith BD, Wang JY, Zhou K (2008) Orcaella brevirostris. In: IUCN red list of threatened species 2011. IUCN. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/15419/0. Accessed 8 Sept 2011

  • Richerson PJ, Mulder MB, Vila BJ (1996) Principles of human ecology, 1st edn. Pearson Custom Pub, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Rick TC, Braje TJ, DeLong RL (2011) People, pinnipeds, and Sea Otters of the Northeast Pacific. In: Braje TJ, Rick TC (eds) Human impacts on seals, Sea Lions, and Sea Otters: Integrating archaeology and ecology in the Northeast Pacific. University of California Press, Berkeley/Los Angeles/London, pp 1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Ripple J, Perrine D (1999) Manatees and dugongs of the world, 1st edn. Voyageur Press, Stillwater

    Google Scholar 

  • Roman J (2006) Whale. Animal series, 1st edn. Reaktion books Ltd, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Romero A, Baker R, Cresswell JE, Singh A, McKie A, Manna M (2002) Environmental history of marine mammal exploitation in Trinidad and Tobago, WI, and its ecological impact. Environ Histor 8(3):255–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romero A, Creswell J (2005) In the land of the Mermaid: how culture, not ecology, influenced marine mammal exploitation in the Southeastern Caribbean. In: Romero A, West SE (eds) Environmental issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1st edn. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 3–30

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Scammon CM (1968) The marine mammals of the Northwestern coast of North America. Originally published in 1874, Dover, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Secchi E (2010) Sotalia fluviatilis In: IUCN red list of threatened species 2011. IUCN. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/190871/0/print. Accessed 10 Aug 2011

  • Seixas CS, Begossi A (2001) Ethnozoology of fishing communities from Ilha Grande (Atlantic forest coast, Brazil). J Ethnobiol 21:107–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Shao-Ke L, Ka-Lok W, Ming L, Paul B, Stephen T, Pang-Chui S (2010) An integrated web medicinal materials DNA database: MMDBD (Medicinal materials DNA Barcode database). BMC Genomics 11:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siciliano S (1994) Review of small cetaceans and fishery interactions in coastal waters of Brazil. Rep Int Whal Comm Special Issue 15:241–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva VMF (1990) Botos, mitológicos hóspedes da Amazônia. Ciência Hoje 11:14–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva VMF, Best RC (1994) Tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis (Gervais, 1853). In: Ridgway SH, Harrison R (eds) Handbook of marine mammals, 1st edn. Academic Press, London, pp 43–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva VMF, Best RC (1996a) Freshwater dolphin/fisheries interaction in the Central Amazon. Amazoniana 14(1/2):165–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva VMF, Best RC (1996b) Sotalia fluviatilis. mammalian species 527:1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simelane TS, Kerley GIH (1998) The conservation implications of the use of indigenous vertebrates by traditional healers in Xhosa communities. S Afr J Wildl Res 28:121–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Simões-Lopes PC, Ximenez A (1990) O impacto da pesca artesanal em áreas de nascimento do boto cinza, Sotalia fluviatilis (Cetacea, Delphinidae), Santa Catarina, Brasil. Biotemas 3(1):67–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinha RK, Sharma G (2003) Current status of the ganges river dolphin, Platanista gangetica in the rivers Kosi and Son, Bihar, India. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 100(1):27–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Slater C (1994) Dance of the dolphin: transformation and disenchantment in the Amazonian imagination, 1st edn. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith A (1996) The river dolphins: the road to extinction. In: Simmonds MP, Hutchinson JD (eds) The conservation of whales and dolphins: science and practice. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, pp 339–373

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith BD, Beasley I, Buccat M, Calderon V, Evina R, Lemmuel de Valle J, Cadigal A, Tura E, Vistacion Z (2004) Status, ecology and conservation of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in Malampaya Sound, Palawan, Philippines. J Cetacea Res Manag 6(1):41–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Stringer CB, Finlayson JC, Barton RNE, Fernández-Jalvo Y, Cáceres I, Sabin RC, Rhodes EJ, Currant AP, Rodríguez-Vidal J, Giles-Pacheco F (2008) Neanderthal exploitation of marine mammals in Gibraltar. Proc Nat Acad Sci 105(38):14319–14324

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toledo GAC, Campos BATP, Feitosa ICS, Souto AS, Alves RRN (2010) Interações entre pescadores artesanais e o boto-cinza (Sotalia guianensis—Van Bénéden, 1864) na região de Baía Formosa, Rio Grande do Norte—Brasil. In: Alves RRN, Souto WMS, Mourão JS (eds) A Etnozoologia no Brasil: Importância, Status atual e Perspectivas, vol. 7, 1st edn. NUPEEA, Recife, PE, Brazil, pp 277–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Tratado de Cooperacion Amazonica (1999) Conservacion y uso de la fauna silvestre en areas protegidas de la Amazonia, 1st edn. Secretaria Pro Tempore (Venezuela)/FAO, Caracas, Venezuela

    Google Scholar 

  • Trujillo F, Diazgranados MC, Omacha F (2002) Delfines de rıo en la Amazonia e Orinoquia: Ecologıa e Conservacion, 1st edn. Fundación Omacha, Bogotá, Colombia

    Google Scholar 

  • Vidal O (1993) Aquatic mammal conservation in Latin America: problems and perspectives. Conserv Biol 7(4):788–795

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walpole MJ, Leader-Williams N (2002) Tourism and flagship species in conservation. Biodivers Conserv 11(3):543–547

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WWF (2006) Species/Freshwater fact sheet: river dolphins. http://assets.wwf.ch/downloads/riverdolphinsw.pdf. Accessed 2 Oct 2011

  • Yates BC (2005) Distinguishing real vs fake Tiger Penises. Identif Guides Wildl Law Enforc 6:1–8

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Av. das Baraúnas, 351/Campus Universitário, Bodocongó, Campina Grande-PB, 58109-753, Brazil

    Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves & Ronnie Enderson Mariano Carvalho Cunha Oliveira

  2. Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa-PB, 58059-970, Brazil

    Wedson Medeiros Silva Souto & Raynner Rilke Duarte Barboza

  3. Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa-PB, 58059-970, Brazil

    Ierecê Lucena Rosa

Authors
  1. Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wedson Medeiros Silva Souto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ronnie Enderson Mariano Carvalho Cunha Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Raynner Rilke Duarte Barboza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ierecê Lucena Rosa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , CCBS - Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraiba, Av. Baraúnas 351, Campina Grande, 58-109753, Paraíba, Brazil

    Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves

  2. , CCEN / Depto. de Sistemático, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, 58059-900, Paraíba, Brazil

    Ierecê Lucena Rosa

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Alves, R.R.N., Souto, W.M.S., Oliveira, R.E.M.C.C., Barboza, R.R.D., Rosa, I.L. (2013). Aquatic Mammals Used in Traditional Folk Medicine: A Global Analysis. In: Alves, R., Rosa, I. (eds) Animals in Traditional Folk Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29026-8_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation