Abstract: It is deemed important to understand cetacean occurrence and distribution to

comprehend their ecological roles. The geographical occurrence of species' niche can

be used to better describe their potential distribution. The niche can be defined using

environmental variables. Those variables are considered static and not affected by

biological activities. The present study goal was to assess the occurrence and distribution

of cetaceans along the southeastern Brazilian coast, as well as to define the fundamental

and realized niche of each species and to investigate niche overlap at local scale.

The environmental requirements for each species were also investigated throughout

statistical tests. Sighting data were obtained through oceanographic surveys conducted

between 2012 and 2015. The environmental variables available on MARSPEC and the

software NicheA were used for the ecological niche modeling. A total of twelve cetacean

species were identified and the potential distribution areas of the six commonest ones

were defined. Even though the species presented different environmental preferences,

most of them had partial overlap among niches and potential distribution areas. The

environmental heterogeneity of the study area might support the co-occurrence of

different species with different environmental requirements.