Pulmonary and Systemic Skeletal Muscle Embolism in a Beaked Whale with a Massive Trauma of Unknown Aetiology.

An adult female Sowerby's beaked whale was found floating dead in Hermigua (La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain) on 7 December 2016. Severe traumas of unknown aetiology were attributed, and the gross and microscopic findings are consistent with catastrophic trauma as a cause of death. Rib fractures affected the intercostals, transverse thoracis skeletal muscles, and thoracic rete mirabile.

Morphological structure of the aortic wall in three Delphinid species with shallow or intermediate diving habits: Evidence for diving adaptation.

Some modifications in the vascular system of marine mammals provide adaptive advantages for diving. This study analyses the organisation of the aortic wall in dolphins, observing artery changes in volume and blood pressure for diving behaviour. Samples of three aortic segments (ascending, thoracic and abdominal) of three dolphin species were processed for histological and morphometric studies.