Skull and mandible alterations in Amazon river dolphins (de Blainville, 1817) (Cetacea, Iniidae, Inia spp.)

Abstract

Osteological studies help to understand biological issues such as locomotion, distribution, evolution, and ecology of a given species (Bell et al., 2002;Cooper et al., 2007). Such studies are widely used in taxonomy, making it possible to show phylogenetic relationships (Perrin, 1975;Tanaka & Fordyce, 2014). Macroscopic analysis of bones may provide relevant data on the life history of vertebrates (Bianucci et al., 2010;Simões-Lopes et al., 2008).The number of studies on bone changes in cetaceans has increased in recent decades. The occurrence of morphological, traumatic, and pathological changes has been reported for cetaceans of different age group and sex.