The Franciscana Dolphin: On the Edge of Survival provides the most updated and comprehensive knowledge on the most endangered marine mammal in the Western South Atlantic Ocean. It synthesizes all available information on this dolphin species, also referred to as La Plata dolphin, ranging from taxonomy, evolution, diet, parasites and diseases, reproduction and growth, to genetic diversity and stock definition, distribution, abundance, behavior, as well as the threats and causes behind the dwindling population numbers. Written by international experts, this book explores aspects of the species' natural history and urgent problems of accidental mortality in fishing nets, contamination and habitat loss.

1. Taxonomy, skeletal morphology, and evolutionary history 2. Overview of franciscana diet 3. Macroparasites of franciscana: what can their coexistence say 4. Pathologies and diseases 5. The life history of franciscana dolphins 6. Genetic diversity, population structure, and phylogeography 7. Abundance estimates of franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei): a review and future recommendations 8. Behavior and movement patterns of franciscana dolphins 9. Acoustic repertoire and bioacoustics applications 10. Is the franciscana bycatch in gillnet fisheries sustainable? 11. Chemical pollution and franciscana-a review 12. Coastal development and habitat loss: understanding 13. Long-term patterns of franciscana strandings throughout its distribution 14. Rehabilitation of stranded specimens 15. Alternative fishing methods, the potential use of "pingers," and other solutions to reduce the bycatch of franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) 16. Gillnet fishing characteristics in Franciscana Management Areas 17. Ethnoecological approaches and fishermen perception 18. Marine protected areas: Their potential for the conservation of the franciscana 19. International and regional agreements, national legislation, and public policies