Relationship between red blood cell lifespan and endogenous carbon monoxide in the common bottlenose dolphin and beluga.

Certain deep-diving marine mammals [i.e., northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii)] have blood carbon monoxide (CO) levels that are comparable with those of chronic cigarette smokers. Most CO produced in humans is a byproduct of heme degradation, which is released when red blood cells (RBCs) are destroyed. Elevated CO can occur in humans when RBC lifespan decreases. The contribution of RBC turnover to CO concentrations in marine mammals is unknown. Here, we report the first RBC lifespans in two healthy marine mammal species with different diving capacities and heme stores, the shallow-diving bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and deep-diving beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), and we relate the lifespans to the levels of CO in blood and breath. The belugas, with high blood heme stores, had the longest mean RBC lifespan compared with humans and bottlenose dolphins. Both cetacean species were found to have three times higher blood CO content compared with humans. The estimated CO production rate from heme degradation indicates some marine mammals may have additional mechanisms for CO production, or delay CO removal from the body, potentially from long-duration breath-holds.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to determine the red blood cell lifespan in a marine mammal species. High concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) were found in the blood of bottlenose dolphins and in the blood and breath of belugas compared with healthy humans. Red blood cell turnover accounted for these high levels in bottlenose dolphins, but there may be alternative mechanisms of endogenous CO production that are contributing to the CO concentrations observed in belugas.

Spin-leap performance by cetaceans is influenced by moment of inertia.

Cetaceans are capable of extraordinary locomotor behaviors in both water and air. Whales and dolphins can execute aerial leaps by swimming rapidly to the water surface to achieve an escape velocity. Previous research on spinner dolphins demonstrated the capability of leaping and completing multiple spins around their longitudinal axis with high angular velocities. This prior research suggested the slender body morphology of spinner dolphins together with the shapes and positions of their appendages allowed for rapid spins in the air. To test whether greater moments of inertia reduced spinning performance, videos and biologging data of cetaceans above and below the water surface were obtained. The principal factors affecting the number of aerial spins a cetacean can execute were moment of inertia and use of control surfaces for subsurface corkscrewing. For spinner dolphin, Pacific striped dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, minke whale and humpback whale, each with swim speeds of 6-7 m s-1, our model predicted that the number of aerial spins executable was 7, 2, 2, 0.76 and 1, respectively, which was consistent with observations. These data implied that the rate of subsurface corkscrewing was limited to 14.0, 6.8, 6.2, 2.2 and 0.75 rad s-1 for spinner dolphins, striped dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, minke whales and humpback whales, respectively. In our study, the moment of inertia of the cetaceans spanned a 21,000-fold range. The greater moments of inertia for the last four species produced large torques on control surfaces that limited subsurface corkscrewing motion and aerial maneuvers compared with spinner dolphins.

Fatal hepatic sarcocystosis in three captive and one free-ranging pinniped.

Fatal hepatic sarcocystosis was diagnosed as the cause of death in four pinnipeds: two captive Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi), a captive, and a free-ranging California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). Based on necropsy, histopathology, electron microscopy and DNA sequencing, intralesional protozoal schizonts were determined to have caused the necrotizing hepatitis observed. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) revealed schizonts similar to Sarcocystis canis in hepatocytes. PCR-DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis at the conserved 18S rRNA and variable ITS1 gene markers within the nuclear rRNA gene array from schizont-laden tissue established that the parasites were indistinguishable from Sarcocystis canis at the 18S rRNA locus. However, six distinct single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were resolved at ITS1 suggesting that the parasites infecting pinnipeds were distinct from S. canis, which commonly infects bears and dogs. We hypothesize that the parasite represents a novel Sarcocystis variant that we refer to as S. canis-like that infects pinnipeds. The definitive host of S. canis is enigmatic and its life cycle incomplete. These findings document a critical need to identify the life cycle(s), definitive host(s), and all susceptible marine and terrestrial intermediate hosts of S. canis and the S. canis-like variant infecting pinnipeds.

MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY PATTERNS OF INDIAN RIVER LAGOON COMMON BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS (TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS TRUNCATUS) 2002-2020.

Mortality patterns in cetaceans are critical to understanding population health. Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus truncatus) inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida have been subjected to four unusual mortality events (UMEs), highlighting the need to evaluate morbidity and mortality patterns. Complete gross examinations were conducted on 392 stranded dolphins and histopathological analyses were conducted for 178 animals (2002-2020). The probable causes of mortality were grouped by etiologic category: degenerative, metabolic, nutritional, inflammatory (infectious and noninfectious disease), and trauma. Probable cause of mortality was determined in 57% (223/392) of cases. Inflammatory disease (infectious/noninfectious) and trauma were the most common. Inflammatory disease accounted for 41% of cases (91/223), with the lungs (pneumonia) most commonly affected. Trauma accounted for 36% of strandings (80/223). The majority of trauma cases were due to anthropogenic activities (entanglement, fishing gear or other debris ingestion, and propeller strikes), accounting for 58% of trauma cases (46/80). Natural trauma (prey-associated esophageal obstruction or asphyxiation, shark bites, and stingray interactions) accounted for 12% of all cases (26/223), and trauma of undetermined origin was identified in 4% of cases (8/223). Starvation or inanition (nutritional) were the probable cause of mortality in 17% of cases and peaked during the 2013 UME (61% of cases). Degenerative and metabolic etiologies accounted for 5% of cases. This study represents the most comprehensive evaluation of morbidity and mortality patterns in IRL dolphins. Because IRL dolphins are routinely exposed to anthropogenic threats and have endured multiple UMEs, these baseline data are critical to the conservation and management of this population.

Epidemiology of skin changes in endangered Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca).

Photographic identification catalogs of individual killer whales (Orcinus orca) over time provide a tool for remote health assessment. We retrospectively examined digital photographs of Southern Resident killer whales in the Salish Sea to characterize skin changes and to determine if they could be an indicator of individual, pod, or population health. Using photographs collected from 2004 through 2016 from 18,697 individual whale sightings, we identified six lesions (cephalopod, erosions, gray patches, gray targets, orange on gray, and pinpoint black discoloration). Of 141 whales that were alive at some point during the study, 99% had photographic evidence of skin lesions. Using a multivariate model including age, sex, pod, and matriline across time, the point prevalence of the two most prevalent lesions, gray patches and gray targets, varied between pods and between years and showed small differences between stage classes. Despite minor differences, we document a strong increase in point prevalence of both lesion types in all three pods from 2004 through 2016. The health significance of this is not clear, but the possible relationship between these lesions and decreasing body condition and immunocompetence in an endangered, non-recovering population is a concern. Understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of these lesions is important to better understand the health significance of these skin changes that are increasing in prevalence.

Evolution of the germline mutation rate across vertebrates.

The germline mutation rate determines the pace of genome evolution and is an evolving parameter itself1. However, little is known about what determines its evolution, as most studies of mutation rates have focused on single species with different methodologies2. Here we quantify germline mutation rates across vertebrates by sequencing and comparing the high-coverage genomes of 151 parent-offspring trios from 68 species of mammals, fishes, birds and reptiles. We show that the per-generation mutation rate varies among species by a factor of 40, with mutation rates being higher for males than for females in mammals and birds, but not in reptiles and fishes. The generation time, age at maturity and species-level fecundity are the key life-history traits affecting this variation among species. Furthermore, species with higher long-term effective population sizes tend to have lower mutation rates per generation, providing support for the drift barrier hypothesis3. The exceptionally high yearly mutation rates of domesticated animals, which have been continually selected on fecundity traits including shorter generation times, further support the importance of generation time in the evolution of mutation rates. Overall, our comparative analysis of pedigree-based mutation rates provides ecological insights on the mutation rate evolution in vertebrates.

Fatal Blowhole Obstruction by Eel in Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Florida, USA.

Esophageal and pharyngeal obstruction are commonly reported in marine mammals, but asphyxiation from blowhole and nasal cavity obstruction has been reported only rarely: in two long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas), several harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), and one common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). We describe two cases of blowhole obstruction and subsequent asphyxiation in bottlenose dolphins caused by eels. A whip eel (Bascanichthys scuticaris) was found obstructing the blowhole of a deceased dolphin from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, US (2011) and a shrimp eel (Ophichthus gomesii) was found obstructing the blowhole of a deceased dolphin from Tampa Bay, Florida (2020). Normally, the respiratory and digestive tracts of cetaceans do not communicate. Consuming large or oddly shaped prey can result in laryngeal displacement and subsequent interaction between the two systems. It is likely the eels entered the oral cavity while the dolphins were consuming or playing with prey, and laryngeal displacement enabled the eels to slither into and become stuck in the nasal passage, causing asphyxiation. These novel findings underscore the importance of continued investigation into causes of mortality in stranded marine mammals and can contribute to the knowledge of feeding ecology in bottlenose dolphins. As changing environmental conditions contribute to shifts in prey availability and abundance, mortality due to prey-related asphyxiation could become more common in odontocetes.

Reproductive tract neoplasia in adult female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

Recent reports have highlighted a lower-than-expected prevalence of neoplasia in elephants and suggested mechanisms for cancer resistance. But despite infrequent reports in the literature, uterine neoplasia is common in managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). This study is an archival review of reproductive tract neoplasia in 80 adult female Asian elephant mortalities in managed care facilities in the United States from 1988 to 2019. Neoplasms occurred in 64/80 (80%) of cases. Most were in the uterus (63/64; 98%) with only a single case of ovarian neoplasia. Myometrial leiomyomas were present in 57/63 (90%) cases with uterine neoplasia. Uterine adenocarcinoma was present in 8/63 (13%) cases. Remaining cases included endometrial adenoma (2), focal carcinoma in situ in endometrial polyps (1), anaplastic carcinoma (1), endometrial hemangioma (1), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET; 1), and angiosarcoma (1). One case with uterine adenocarcinoma had a separate pelvic mass histologically characterized as an anaplastic sarcoma. Distant metastases were documented in 5/8 (63%) cases of uterine adenocarcinoma, and in the uterine anaplastic carcinoma, PNET, and angiosarcoma. Four uterine adenocarcinomas and one carcinoma in situ were examined immunohistochemically for pan-cytokeratin, vimentin, and estrogen receptor. In all, neoplastic cells were pan-cytokeratin positive and vimentin negative, and in 2 cases were immunoreactive for estrogen receptor. Results show that female reproductive tract neoplasia, particularly of the uterus, is common in Asian elephants and is not limited to leiomyomas. Importantly, uterine neoplasms have the potential to impact fecundity and may represent obstacles to conservation in managed care.

3D genomics across the tree of life reveals condensin II as a determinant of architecture type.

We investigated genome folding across the eukaryotic tree of life. We find two types of three-dimensional (3D) genome architectures at the chromosome scale. Each type appears and disappears repeatedly during eukaryotic evolution. The type of genome architecture that an organism exhibits correlates with the absence of condensin II subunits. Moreover, condensin II depletion converts the architecture of the human genome to a state resembling that seen in organisms such as fungi or mosquitoes. In this state, centromeres cluster together at nucleoli, and heterochromatin domains merge. We propose a physical model in which lengthwise compaction of chromosomes by condensin II during mitosis determines chromosome-scale genome architecture, with effects that are retained during the subsequent interphase. This mechanism likely has been conserved since the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes.

Cervical air sac oxygen profiles in diving emperor penguins: parabronchial ventilation and the respiratory oxygen store.

Some marine birds and mammals can perform dives of extraordinary duration and depth. Such dive performance is dependent on many factors, including total body oxygen (O2) stores. For diving penguins, the respiratory system (air sacs and lungs) constitutes 30-50% of the total body O2 store. To better understand the role and mechanism of parabronchial ventilation and O2 utilization in penguins both on the surface and during the dive, we examined air sac partial pressures of O2 (PO2 ) in emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) equipped with backpack PO2  recorders. Cervical air sac PO2  values at rest were lower than in other birds, while the cervical air sac to posterior thoracic air sac PO2  difference was larger. Pre-dive cervical air sac PO2  values were often greater than those at rest, but had a wide range and were not significantly different from those at rest. The maximum respiratory O2 store and total body O2 stores calculated with representative anterior and posterior air sac PO2  data did not differ from prior estimates. The mean calculated anterior air sac O2 depletion rate for dives up to 11 min was approximately one-tenth that of the posterior air sacs. Low cervical air sac PO2  values at rest may be secondary to a low ratio of parabronchial ventilation to parabronchial blood O2 extraction. During dives, overlap of simultaneously recorded cervical and posterior thoracic air sac PO2  profiles supported the concept of maintenance of parabronchial ventilation during a dive by air movement through the lungs.

Pathology findings and correlation with body condition index in stranded killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the northeastern Pacific and Hawaii from 2004 to 2013.

Understanding health and mortality in killer whales (Orcinus orca) is crucial for management and conservation actions. We reviewed pathology reports from 53 animals that stranded in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Hawaii between 2004 and 2013 and used data from 35 animals that stranded from 2001 to 2017 to assess association with morphometrics, blubber thickness, body condition and cause of death. Of the 53 cases, cause of death was determined for 22 (42%) and nine additional animals demonstrated findings of significant importance for population health. Causes of calf mortalities included infectious disease, nutritional, and congenital malformations. Mortalities in sub-adults were due to trauma, malnutrition, and infectious disease and in adults due to bacterial infections, emaciation and blunt force trauma. Death related to human interaction was found in every age class. Important incidental findings included concurrent sarcocystosis and toxoplasmosis, uterine leiomyoma, vertebral periosteal proliferations, cookiecutter shark (Isistius sp.) bite wounds, excessive tooth wear and an ingested fish hook. Blubber thickness increased significantly with body length (all p < 0.001). In contrast, there was no relationship between body length and an index of body condition (BCI). BCI was higher in animals that died from trauma. This study establishes a baseline for understanding health, nutritional status and causes of mortality in stranded killer whales. Given the evidence of direct human interactions on all age classes, in order to be most successful recovery efforts should address the threat of human interactions, especially for small endangered groups of killer whales that occur in close proximity to large human populations, interact with recreational and commercial fishers and transit established shipping lanes.

Morphology of the Amazonian Teleost Genus Arapaima Using Advanced 3D Imaging.

The arapaima is the largest of the extant air-breathing freshwater fishes. Their respiratory gas bladder is arguably the most striking of all the adaptations to living in the hypoxic waters of the Amazon basin, in which dissolved oxygen can reach 0 ppm (0 mg/l) at night. As obligatory air-breathers, arapaima have undergone extensive anatomical and physiological adaptations in almost every organ system. These changes were evaluated using magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging, gross necropsy, and histology to create a comprehensive morphological assessment of this unique fish. Segmentation of advanced imaging data allowed for creation of anatomically accurate and quantitative 3D models of organs and their spatial relationships. The deflated gas bladder [1.96% body volume (BV)] runs the length of the coelomic cavity, and encompasses the kidneys (0.35% BV). It is compartmentalized by a highly vascularized webbing comprising of ediculae and inter-edicular septa lined with epithelium acting as a gas exchange surface analogous to a lung. Gills have reduced surface area, with severe blunting and broadening of the lamellae. The kidneys are not divided into separate regions, and have hematopoietic and excretory tissue interspersed throughout. The heart (0.21% BV) is encased in a thick layer of lipid rich tissue. Arapaima have an unusually large telencephalon (28.3% brain volume) for teleosts. The characteristics that allow arapaima to perfectly exploit their native environment also make them easy targets for overfishing. In addition, their habitat is at high risk from climate change and anthropogenic activities which are likely to result is fewer specimens living in the wild, or achieving their growth potential of up to 4.5 m in length.

Renal and vaginal calculi in a free-ranging long-beaked common dolphin Delphinus capensis.

Bilateral nephrolithiasis with a concurrent vaginal calculus was identified in a stranded free-ranging long-beaked common dolphin Delphinus capensis. Necropsy and radiologic examinations of the sexually mature D. capensis revealed multiple small irregularly round nephroliths and a 6.4 × 4.1 × 9.2 cm vaginal calculus weighing 182 g. Nephroliths numbered 68 and 71 in the left and right kidneys, respectively, and ranged from 1.7 to 6.9 mm in diameter. Nephroliths were composed of 100% ammonium urate, which has been found in captive dolphin populations. However, the vaginolith consisted of struvite and calcium carbonate suggesting an alternate etiology. The composition of the vaginolith suggests that bacterial vaginitis could have served as the predisposing condition. Renal lesions included chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis with tubular degeneration and loss, likely secondary to the nephroliths. The pathogenesis of ammonium urate nephrolithiasis in managed care is suspected to be linked to diet and age but in this case may be due to metabolic disruption. However, if environmental changes cause a shift in prey species, the risk of nephrolithiasis in free-ranging cetaceans could increase. Careful surveillance for nephroliths in free-ranging populations should be considered by researchers.

How smooth is a dolphin? The ridged skin of odontocetes.

Dolphin skin has long been an inspiration for research on drag reduction mechanisms due to the presence of skin ridges that could reduce fluid resistance. We gathered in vivo three-dimensional surface data on the skin from five species of odontocetes to quantitatively examine skin texture, including the presence and size of ridges. We used these data to calculate k+ values, which relate surface geometry to changes in boundary layer flow. Our results showed that while ridge size differs among species, odontocete skin was surprisingly smooth compared to the skin of other swimmers (average roughness = 5.3 µm). In addition, the presence of ridges was variable among individuals of the same species. We predict that odontocete skin ridges do not alter boundary layer flows at cruising swimming speeds. By combining k+ values and morphological data, our work provides evidence that skin ridges are unlikely to be an adaptation for drag reduction and that odontocete skin is exceptionally smooth compared to other pelagic swimmers.

Clinicopathological prognostic indicators of survival and pathological findings in cold-stressed Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris.

Cold-stress syndrome (CSS) is a leading natural cause of mortality in free-ranging Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris, but comprehensive investigations into blood analyte derangements and prognostic indicators in CSS are lacking. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare admission blood analyte data of manatees pre and post rehabilitation for CSS to identify clinicopathological derangements, (2) identify blood analyte prognostic indicators for survival, and (3) correlate post-mortem anatomic pathological changes with clinicopathological findings to improve the understanding of CS pathophysiology. CSS manatees admitted to a rehabilitation facility between 2007 and 2017 were included: 59 manatees with data for clinicopathological analysis (7 non-survivors and 49 survivors) and 14 manatees with necropsy data (7 with and 7 without blood analyte data). Main interpretive clinicopathological findings indicated systemic inflammation, bone marrow damage, diuresis, malnutrition, tissue necrosis, fat mobilization, hepatic impairment, acid-base imbalances, and gastrointestinal ulceration. The best diagnostically performing prognostic indicators for survival included platelet concentration, aspartate aminotransferase, calcium, and blood urea nitrogen. The main anatomic pathological findings were cutaneous lesions (n = 14), lipid depletion (n = 12), upper gastrointestinal ulceration and/or hemorrhage (n = 9), and pneumonia (n = 5). Based on the identified blood prognostic indicators interpreted in the context of anatomic pathological findings, multi-organ tissue injury, gastrointestinal ulceration and/or hemorrhage, and hemodynamic and platelet derangements are the presumptive major factors of CSS manatee mortality. These results contribute to the understanding of the complex CSS pathophysiology and offer the use of blood analyte prognostic indicators as a clinically applicable tool for the medical care of manatees during rehabilitation, thereby contributing to increased rehabilitation success and conservation of the Florida manatee.

New de novo assembly of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) improves genome completeness and provides haplotype phasing.

High-quality genomes are essential to resolve challenges in breeding, comparative biology, medicine, and conservation planning. New library preparation techniques along with better assembly algorithms result in continued improvements in assemblies for non-model organisms, moving them toward reference-quality genomes. We report on the latest genome assembly of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, leveraging Illumina sequencing data coupled with a combination of several library preparation techniques. These include Linked-Reads (Chromium, 10x Genomics), mate pairs (MP), long insert paired ends, and standard paired end. Data were assembled with the commercial DeNovoMAGIC assembly software, resulting in two assemblies, a traditional "haploid" assembly (Tur_tru_Illumina_hap_v1) that is a mosaic of the two parental haplotypes and a phased assembly (Tur_tru_Illumina_phased_v1) where each scaffold has sequence from a single homologous chromosome. We show that Tur_tru_Illumina_hap_v1 is more complete and more accurate compared to the current best reference based on the amount and composition of sequence, the consistency of the MP alignments to the assembled scaffolds, and on the analysis of conserved single-copy mammalian orthologs. The phased de novo assembly Tur_tru_Illumina_phased_v1 is the first publicly available for this species and provides the community with novel and accurate ways to explore the heterozygous nature of the dolphin genome.

Personality in captive killer whales (Orcinus orca): A rating approach based on the five-factor model.

The comparative study of animal personality has received great interest in recent years. Some studies have analyzed personalities in cetaceans (exclusively in dolphins), but none have analyzed the factorial structure of personality of any species in this order. Our objective was to evaluate a sample of captive killer whales (n = 24) adapting one of the most widely used models of personality in humans and nonhuman animals: the five-factor model. A total of 38 personality descriptive adjectives were rated by 55 raters (mainly trainers and curators). Principal components analysis and regularized exploratory factor analysis revealed four statistically significant factors with acceptable standards of interrater reliability and validity, accounting for 49.85% of the variance. The first factor indicated an Extraversion factor, the second one revealed a combined factor of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, the third one yielded in a Dominance factor, and the fourth one reflected a Careful factor very close to a combination of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness factor. The results were compared with the results obtained for humans and chimpanzees in prior studies. The similarities could be explained as a result of convergent adaptive traits despite a deep evolutionary divergence, adaptation to physically dissimilar environments, and very different neuroanatomical organization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Prosocial Predictions by Bottlenose Dolphins ( Tursiops spp.) Based on Motion Patterns in Visual Stimuli.

In this study, paradigms that test whether human infants make social attributions to simple moving shapes were adapted for use with bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins observed animated displays in which a target oval would falter while moving upward, and then either a "prosocial" oval would enter and help or caress it or an "antisocial" oval would enter and hinder or hit it. In subsequent displays involving all three shapes, when the pro- and antisocial ovals moved offscreen in opposite directions, the dolphins reliably predicted-based on anticipatory head turns when the target briefly moved behind an occluder-that the target oval would follow the prosocial one. When the roles of the pro- and antisocial ovals were reversed toward a new target, the animals' continued success suggests that such attributions may be dyad specific. Some of the dolphins also directed high arousal behaviors toward these displays, further supporting that they were socially interpreted.

Pathology and causes of death in stranded humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Brazil.

This study describes the pathologic findings of 24 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) found stranded along the Brazilian coast from 2004 to 2016. Eighteen (75%) animals evaluated were found stranded alive. From these, 13 died naturally on shore and five were euthanized. Six died at sea and were washed ashore. Of the 24, 19 (79.2%) were calves, four (16.7%) were juveniles, and one (4.2%) was an adult. The most probable cause of stranding and/or death (CSD) was determined in 23/24 (95.8%) individuals. In calves, CSD included neonatal respiratory distress (13/19; 68.4%), infectious disease (septicemia, omphaloarteritis and urachocystitis; 3/19; 15.8%), trauma of unknown origin (2/19; 10.5%), and vehicular trauma (vessel strike; 1/19; 5.3%). In juveniles and adult individuals, CSD was: emaciation (2/5; 40%), sunlight-thermal burn shock (1/5; 20%); and discospondylitis (1/5; 20%). In one juvenile, the CSD was undetermined (1/5; 20%). This study integrates novel findings and published case reports to delineate the pathology of a South-western Atlantic population of humpback whales. This foundation will aid in the assessment of the population health and establish a baseline for development of conservation policies.

Sea Lions Develop Human-like Vernix Caseosa Delivering Branched Fats and Squalene to the GI Tract.

Vernix caseosa, the white waxy coating found on newborn human skin, is thought to be a uniquely human substance. Its signature characteristic is exceptional richness in saturated branched chain fatty acids (BCFA) and squalene. Vernix particles sloughed from the skin suspended in amniotic fluid are swallowed by the human fetus, depositing BCFA/squalene throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, thereby establishing a unique microbial niche that influences development of nascent microbiota. Here we show that late-term California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) fetuses have true vernix caseosa, delivering BCFA and squalene to the fetal GI tract thereby recapitulating the human fetal gut microbial niche. These are the first data demonstrating the production of true vernix caseosa in a species other than Homo sapiens. Its presence in a marine mammal supports the hypothesis of an aquatic habituation period in the evolution of modern humans.