[OANNES Foro] A report on the prevalence of digital anomalies in Cetacea

[Mario Cabrejos]

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
Published Online: 6 Mar 2009

The trouble with flippers: a report on the prevalence of digital anomalies in Cetacea
LISA NOELLE COOPER 1,2 * and SUSAN D. DAWSON 3 
  1 Department of Anatomy, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA 
  2 School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA 
  3 Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island Atlantic Veterinary College, Charlottetown, Canada 
Correspondence to   *E-mail: l.noelle.cooper en gmail.com 

ABSTRACT
The forelimbs of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) are unique among mammals as the digits exhibit hyperphalangy, and the entire limb is encased in a soft tissue flipper that functions to generate lift. The typical morphology of cetacean digits has been well documented by detailed anatomical studies. 

This study however furthers our understanding of cetacean forelimb anatomy by conducting a taxonomically broad survey of cetacean digital anomalies. 

Forelimb radiographs from museum collections provided the basis upon which we calculated the prevalence and documented the morphology of cetacean digital abnormalities. 

Results indicated that 11% (n = 255) of toothed whales displayed some type of aberrant ossification: the majority of these cases displayed a fusion of elements within a single digital ray, whereas cases exhibiting branched digits were rare. 

A small sample of baleen whale radiographs (n = 6) contained the only documented case of baleen whale polydactyly in a specimen of the gray whale (Eschrichtius). 

Furthermore, some Balaenoptera specimens displayed ossified elements within the interdigital spaces that lacked attachment to the adjacent digits and carpus. In addition, we speculated on the role that several genes may have played in creating cetacean digital anomalies.
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