Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of this article: Lingham-Soliar T, Bloodgood J, Rothschild B, Bouveroux T (2023) Survival of an Indian Ocean humpback dolphin Sousa plumbea in the wild despite chronic osteologic pathologies. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms,154: 49-57.
The link to the manuscript and abstract can be found below and interested people are invited to send me an email to request PDF copies. https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/dao/v154/p49-57/ Abstract: Skeletal examination of a female adult Indian Ocean humpback dolphin Sousa plumbea from South Africa suggested a chronic disease process. It manifested as erosions and pitting of the atlanto-occipital articulation as well as circumferential hyperostosis and ankylosis of some of the caudal vertebrae, findings rarely recorded together in the same animal. The character of the erosive process and vertebral fusion appeared chronic, and further findings of underdevelopment of the fluke, sternum and left humerus with remodeling of the periarticular region of the left scapula may support initiation of the process early in life. Because such chronic pathology would have affected the individual’s locomotion and foraging abilities, we also postulate how this individual survived until its demise in a human-derived environmental hazard. Ecological and socio-behavioral aspects observed in S. plumbea, including habitat preference for inshore and shallow waters, small social group aggregations and feeding cooperation, may have contributed to its ability to survive. Best regards, Thibaut Bouveroux, PhD Dauphin Island Sea Lab, AL, USA
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