M0 3

cancelled
M04
D I F F I C U L T L A B O U R S W I T H F A T A L C O N S E Q U E N C E S IN B O T T L E N O S E
D O L P H I N S (TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS) F R O M T H E A D R I A T I C S E A
Ma r t i na u r a s - G o m e r i ( 1 ) , T o m i s l a v G o m e r i ( 2 ) , A n a G a l o v ( 3 ) , H r v o j e
L u i ( 1 ) , D a r i n k a k r t i ( 1 ) , S n j e a n a u r k o v i ( 1 ) , S n j e a n a V u k o v i ( 1 ) ,
Hr v o j e G o m e r i ( 1)
(1) Department of Anat omy Histology and Embryol ogy, Facul ty of Veteri nary
Medi ci ne, University of Zagreb
(2) Department of Biology, Faculty of Veteri nary Medi ci ne, Uni versi ty of Zagreb
(3) Division of Biology, Faculty of Sci ence, University of Zagreb
^ marti na.gomerci c@vef.hr
Difficult labour (dystocia) has an i mportant role in human and veteri nary
obstetrics and often requires an assi sted delivery to prevent compl i cati ons, both
in the mother and the newborn. Its main causes are abnormal fetal posi ti ons,
fetal abnormal i ti es, and di sorders in the form and functi on of the reproducti ve
tract of the mother. In ani mal s in the wi l d difficult l abours proceed unassi sted and
they can end fatal for the fetus, mother or both. As part of a l ong-term project to
investigate marine mammal strandi ngs, 139 bottl enose dol phi n (Tursiops
truncatus) carcasses found in the Croati an part of the Adri ati c Sea were
exami ned from October 1990 to November 2009. In five cases we observed
dystocia with fatal consequences. The age of the femal es ranged from 6 to 22
years. The causes of dystocia were abnormal fetal positions (dolphin No. 8 and
159) and a fetal congeni tal abnormal i ty (dolphin No. 183). In two dol phi ns the
cause of dystocia coul d not be observed but there were evi dences of a difficult
labour in form of a prol apsed uterus (dolphin No. 17) and prol apsed vagi na and
urinary bladder (dolphin No. 35). The bottl enose dol phi n is the only resident
marine mammal speci es in the Adri ati c Sea, with an esti mated number of around
200 adult individuals and around 20 cubs living in the Croati an area. It is
esti mated that between 15 and 20 bottl enose dol phi n births occur there annual l y,
so the esti mated total number of births si nce 1990 is between 270 and 360. Thi s
means that dystocia with fatal consequences appears in between 1.4% to 1.9%
of all births in the bottlenose dolphin from the Croati an part of the Adri ati c.
Stralsund
i
2010
ABSTRACT BOOK
2 4
t h
CONFERENCE OF THE
EUROPEAN CETACEAN SOCI ETY
MARINE MAMMAL POPULATI ONS:
CHALLENGES FOR CONSERVATI ON
IN THE NEXT DECADE
22nd _ 24th M A R C H 2010, ST R A L SU N D /G E R M A N Y
De u t s c h e s
M e e r e s m u s e u m
Stralsund
E u r ope a n C e t a c e a n S oc i e t y
Abstract book: 24 Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society:
Organi zi ng Commi ttee
Cover photo: Harald Benke, German Oceanographi c Museum
Desi gned by: Thomas Korth, OZEANEUM
Edited by: Ursula Verfu, Sylvia Osterrieder, Cecile Vi ncent, Martin Jabbusch,
Anj a Gallus, Johann Subkl ew, Stefan Brger, Anj a Brandecker, Mi chael Dhne,
Stefani e Groer, Frederike Hanke, Wol f Hanke, Anne Herrmann, Kathrin Krgel ,
Ti na Meyer, Sabine Mller, Janne Sundermeyer, Lyuba Zehl
Printed by: Federal Maritime & Hydrographi e Agency, Rostock