Okamura Taro, Smith Ashley R, Mikami Tomoyuki, Nishimura Futaba, Shirakata Chika, Yasui Kensuke, Asakawa Shuichi, Yoda Ken
Graduate School of Environmental Studies Nagoya University Nagoya Japan.
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan.
Ecol Evol. 2024 Dec 16;14(12):e70727. doi: 10.1002/ece3.70727. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Previous studies have described two distinct vascular systems in cetacean fins. However, these studies have been limited to Delphinoidea species, with little information on their three-dimensional structures. In this study, the anatomical analysis of the caudal and dorsal fins of a dwarf sperm whale was conducted using X-ray computed tomography and gross dissection with staining, providing the first confirmation of the two vascular systems in the fins of the family Kogiidae. This finding suggested that these vascular systems are common across Odontoceti species. In addition, we observed unique three-dimensional structures in the superficial veins, which formed a reticulate pattern in both fins and converged at the centerline at the base of the dorsal fin, potentially influencing individual's heat reduction capabilities.
以往的研究描述了鲸类鳍中的两种不同血管系统。然而，这些研究仅限于海豚总科物种，关于其三维结构的信息很少。在本研究中，利用X射线计算机断层扫描以及染色大体解剖对一头小抹香鲸的尾鳍和背鳍进行了解剖分析，首次证实了小抹香鲸科鳍中的两种血管系统。这一发现表明，这些血管系统在齿鲸亚目物种中很常见。此外，我们在浅静脉中观察到独特的三维结构，这些浅静脉在两个鳍中形成网状模式，并在背鳍基部的中心线处汇合，这可能会影响个体的散热能力。
