| Autor: |
García de Los Ríos Y Loshuertos Á; Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain., Arencibia Espinosa A; Departamento de Morfología. Anatomía y Embriología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35416 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain., Soler Laguía M; Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain., Gil Cano F; Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain., Martínez Gomariz F; Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain., López Fernández A; Departamento de Biología-CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitario de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal., Ramírez Zarzosa G; Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain. |
| Abstrakt: |
Our objective was to analyze the main anatomical structures of the dolphin head during its developmental stages. Most dolphin studies use only one fetal specimen due to the difficulty in obtaining these materials. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) of two fetuses (younger and older) and a perinatal specimen cadaver of striped dolphins were scanned. Only the older fetus was frozen and then was transversely cross-sectioned. In addition, gross dissections of the head were made on a perinatal and an adult specimen. In the oral cavity, only the mandible and maxilla teeth have started to erupt, while the most rostral teeth have not yet erupted. No salivary glands and masseter muscle were observed. The melon was well identified in CT/MRI images at early stages of development. CT and MRI images allowed observation of the maxillary sinus. The orbit and eyeball were analyzed and the absence of infraorbital rim together with the temporal process of the zygomatic bone holding periorbit were described. An enlarged auditory tube was identified using anatomical sections, CT, and MRI. We also compare the dolphin head anatomy with some mammals, trying to underline the anatomical and physiological changes and explain them from an ontogenic point of view. |
