Cumulative sperm whale bone damage and the bends.
Diving mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and humans develop dysbaric osteonecrosis from end-artery nitrogen embolism ("the bends") in certain bones. Sixteen sperm whales from calves to large adults showed a size-related development of osteonecrosis in chevron and rib bone articulations, deltoid crests, and nasal bones. Occurrence in animals from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans over 111 years made a pathophysiological diagnosis of dysbarism most likely. Decompression avoidance therefore may constrain diving behavior. This suggests why some deep-diving mammals show periodic shallow-depth activity and why gas emboli are found in animals driven to surface precipitously by acoustic stressors such as mid-frequency sonar systems.
Moore
Michael J
MJ
Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. mmoore@whoi.edu
Early
Greg A
GA
D000818:Animals; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D049628:Body Size; D015519:Bone Density; D016723:Bone Remodeling; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology*; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004242:Diving; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010020:Osteonecrosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D014907:Whales / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology