The Respiratory System of the Arctocephalus australis in Comparison to the Dog as a Land-Carnivore: Are There Adaptations to Marine Life?

Marine mammals are divided into three groups, with similar adaptations resulting from their aquatic lifestyle: sirenians, pinnipeds, and cetaceans. The present work focused on the South American fur seal, or , a carnivore included in the pinnipeds group. We assessed whether the anatomical features o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2023-01, Vol.13 (2), p.199
Main Authors: Molpeceres-Diego, Ignacio, Martín-Orti, Rosario, Loureiro, Juan-Pablo, Tostado-Marcos, Carlos, Tendillo-Domínguez, Enrique, Santos-Álvarez, Inmaculada, Pérez-Lloret, Pilar, González-Soriano, Juncal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Adults
anatomy
Aquatic environment
Aquatic mammals
Arctocephalus australis
Bones
Cadavers
Carnivores
Cartilage
dog
Esophagus
Juveniles
land-carnivore
Larynx
Marine mammals
Nose
Physiology
Respiratory system
Skin
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Marine mammals are divided into three groups, with similar adaptations resulting from their aquatic lifestyle: sirenians, pinnipeds, and cetaceans. The present work focused on the South American fur seal, or , a carnivore included in the pinnipeds group. We assessed whether the anatomical features of the respiratory system are comparable to those of other land-carnivores or whether these individuals show anatomical adaptations related to their ability to dive or their breath-holding capacities. We studied 11 cadavers of , which included adult ( = 2) and juvenile ( = 9) individuals, by anatomically dissecting their isolated entire respiratory system. Although it is generally similar to that in land-carnivores, we demonstrated that the 's respiratory apparatus shows several specific characteristics. Therefore, our results are of great importance for clinical diagnostic and wildlife conservation purposes.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani13020199