Macro and microanatomy of some organs of a juvenile male Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica spp. gangetica)

Abstract

Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica spp. gangetica) is a small cetacean endemic of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system and Karnaphuli and Sangu rivers of the Indian subcontinent

Nature or Nurture: Is the Digestive System of the Pontoporia blainvillei Influenced or Determined by Its Diet?

“…These animals have conical teeth of different lengths, as do other estuarine dolphins, such as the Ganges dolphin ( Platanea platinids ), which are ideal for catching fish and shrimp at an early age [ 33 ]. The number of teeth in the upper arch of the Franciscana is similar to that of the lower arch, with 110 pieces on average vs. 108 in juveniles and 113 vs. 110.5 in adults, which differs from those species whose diet is based exclusively on squid and that lack teeth in the upper arch, as explained by Cozzi et al and Martin Diaz [ 26 , 34 ].…”

“…Even as we have described in the Franciscana, these papillae tend to be reduced or disappear with age, although they may persist in some individuals [ 26 ]. From the age of two months, this species begins to consume solid food and its feeding becomes mixed, and then these papillae assist in holding the prey against the palate while water flows through the papillae [ 33 , 34 , 36 , 39 , 41 ] until they begin to involute due to disuse and completely lose functionality in adulthood.…”