Kot Brian C W, Tsui Henry C L, Chung Tabris Y T, Cheng Wo Wing, Mui Thomas, Lo Madelyn Y L, Yamada Tadasu K, Mori Kent, Brown Richard A L
Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong;
State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong.
J Vis Exp. 2020 Sep 3(163). doi: 10.3791/61700.
The preparation of cetacean, in particular baleen whale, skeletons presents a great challenge due to their high lipid content and uncommon size. Documentation of the skeletal morphology is important to produce accurate and reliable models for both research and educational purposes. In this paper, we used a 10.8-meter long Omura's whale stranded in Hong Kong waters in 2014 as an example for the illustration. This rare and enormous specimen was defleshed, macerated, and sun-dried to yield the skeleton for research and public display. Morphology of each bone was then documented by photogrammetry. The complex contour of the skeleton made automated photoshoot inadequate and 3 manual methods were used on bones of different sizes and shapes. The captured photos were processed to generate three-dimensional (3D) models of 166 individual bones. The skeleton was printed half-size with polylactic acid for display purposes, which was easier to maintain than the actual cetacean bones with high residual fat content. The printed bones reflected most anatomical features of the specimen, including the bowing out rostral region and the caudal condylar facet that articulated with Ce1, yet the foramina on the parieto-squamosal suture, which are diagnostic character of Balaenoptera omurai, and an indented groove on the frontal bone at the posterior end of the lateral edge were not clearly presented. Extra photoshoots or 3D surface scanning should be performed on areas with meticulous details to improve precision of the models. The electronic files of the 3D skeleton were published online to reach a global audience and facilitate scientific collaboration among researchers worldwide.
由于鲸类动物，特别是须鲸的骨骼含有高脂质且尺寸特殊，其骨骼标本的制备面临巨大挑战。记录骨骼形态对于制作准确可靠的模型用于研究和教育目的至关重要。在本文中，我们以2014年搁浅在香港水域的一头10.8米长的大村鲸为例进行说明。这一罕见且巨大的标本经过去皮、浸软和晒干处理，得到用于研究和公众展示的骨骼。然后通过摄影测量法记录每块骨头的形态。骨骼复杂的轮廓使得自动拍照不够充分，针对不同大小和形状的骨头采用了3种手动方法。对拍摄的照片进行处理，生成了166块独立骨头的三维（3D）模型。为了展示目的，用聚乳酸将骨骼按比例缩小一半打印出来，这比实际含有高残留脂肪的鲸类骨骼更容易保存。打印出的骨头反映了标本的大多数解剖特征，包括突出的吻部区域和与第1尾椎关节相连的尾髁小平面，但大村鲸特有的顶骨 - 鳞骨缝上的小孔以及外侧边缘后端额骨上的凹陷沟并未清晰呈现。对于细节精细的区域应进行额外拍摄或3D表面扫描，以提高模型的精度。3D骨骼的电子文件已在网上发布，以面向全球受众并促进全球研究人员之间的科学合作。
