The vomeronasal organ and incisive duct of harbor seals are modified to secrete acidic mucus into the nasal cavity.
Sci Rep
; 14(1): 11779, 2024 05 23.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38783070
ABSTRACT
Most terrestrial mammals have a vomeronasal system to detect specific chemicals. The peripheral organ of this system is a vomeronasal organ (VNO) opening to the incisive duct, and its primary integrative center is an accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). The VNO in seals is thought to be degenerated like whales and manatees, unlike otariids, because of the absence of the AOB. However, olfaction plays pivotal roles in seals, and thus we conducted a detailed morphological evaluation of the vomeronasal system of three harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). The VNO lumen was not found, and the incisive duct did not open into the oral cavity but was recognized as a fossa on the anteroventral side of the nasal cavity. This fossa is rich in mucous glands that secrete acidic mucopolysaccharides, which might originate from the vomeronasal glands. The olfactory bulb consisted only of a main olfactory bulb that received projections from the olfactory mucosa, but an AOB region was not evident. These findings clarified that harbor seals do not have a VNO to detect some chemicals, but the corresponding region is a specialized secretory organ.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Bulbo Olfatório
/
Órgão Vomeronasal
/
Phoca
/
Cavidade Nasal
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Rep
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Japão