Chapter 8 - Prenatal development

Title

Chapter 8 - Prenatal development

Creator

Thewissen JGM; Hillmann DJ; George JC; Stimmelmayr R; Tarpley RJ; Sheffield Gay; Suydam RS

Publisher

The Bowhead Whale

Date

2021
2021-01-01

Description

The prenatal development of bowhead whales is poorly known, and no complete ontogenetic series exist. However, the available embryos and fetuses elucidate aspects of the development of the species, as well as that of all of mysticetes in general, and demonstrate the role of heterochrony in development. For instance, hair on the face of bowhead whale embryos develops at the same ontogenetic stage as it does in terrestrial mammals, even though body hair never develops. The absence of teeth characterizes all modern baleen whales, but bowhead whale fetuses initiate teeth around the same time as land mammals, to then resorb them in the fetal period. Baleen forms after that, late in the fetal period.

Subject

Bowhead whale; fetus; Balaena mysticetus; embryo; gestation; heterochrony

Identifier

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Format

journalArticle

Search for Full-text

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Pages

117-125

NEOMED College

NEOMED College of Medicine

NEOMED Department

Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology

Update Year & Number

January 2021 List

Citation

Thewissen JGM; Hillmann DJ; George JC; Stimmelmayr R; Tarpley RJ; Sheffield Gay; Suydam RS, “Chapter 8 - Prenatal development,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed March 18, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/11541.