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PATHOBIOLOGY OF SELECTED MARINE MAMMAL DISEASES
Citation:
Haebler, R. AND R. Moeller, Jr. PATHOBIOLOGY OF SELECTED MARINE MAMMAL DISEASES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/A-94/234 (NTIS PB95138244).
Description:
Marine mammals are the subset of true mammals that have evolved unique characteristics for survival in an aquatic environment. he five major groups of marine mammals, cetacea, pinnipeds, mustelids, sirenia, and ursids, did not descend from a common phylogenetic line, and therefore vary greatly in their anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and habitat requirements. ue to these differences, the incidence and types of their diseases also vary. arine mammals include: rder: Cetacea -- whales and dolphins in two suborders, Odontocetes, (toothed whales and dolphins) and Mysticetes (baleen whales). rder: Pinnipedia -- pinnipeds, including 33 species of seals, sea lions, and walruses. rder: Sirenia -- only two living species, the dugong and manatee. Order: Carnivora -- the family Mustelidae with one marine species, the sea otter, and the family Ursidae with one marine species, the polar bear. (Diseases of polar bears will not be included in this review.) This chapter reviews the pathobiology, especially gross and microscopic changes, associated with certain diseases of marine mammals. ince a detailed discussion of marine mammal pathobiology is beyond the scope of this document, diseases were selected based on prevalence and significance within feral populations of marine mammals. or further details on marine mammal disease and medicine, see Howard (1983) and Dierauf (1990).