Abstract

DEL CASTILLO, Daniela L; FLORES, David A  and  CAPPOZZO, Humberto L. Cranial suture closure in the franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei (Gervais and D’Orbigny, 1844). Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2015, vol.22, n.1, pp.144-148. ISSN 0327-9383.

Cranial suture closure and its bilateral asymmetry in the franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, were studied. Our results showed that the closure of cranial sutures exhibit low variability associated to total body size, with the exception of the premaxilla-maxilla suture which showed some correlation with body size. The cranial sutures of franciscana dolphins showed closure with no directional asymmetry, in accordance with the results found in dolphin species studied to date. Our results support the idea that different species of dolphins exhibit distinct patterns of suture closure, associated with their specific evolutionary histories and functional demands, and that there is no general common pattern.

Keywords : Asymmetry; Franciscana; Odontocete; Skull; Sutures.

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