The Heart of the Killer Whale: Description of a Plastinated Specimen and Review of the Available Literature

The killer whale (Orcinus orca, Linnaeus, 1958) is the largest extant delphinid. Despite its worldwide distribution in the wild and in dolphinariums, its anatomy remains relatively poorly described. In the present study, we describe the detailed morphology of a plastinated killer whale heart. The gr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals
Main Authors: Latorre R., Graic J. -M., Raverty S. A., Galvez F. S., Cozzi B., Lopez-Albors O.
Other Authors: Latorre, R., Graic, J. -M., Raverty, S. A., Galvez, F. S., Cozzi, B., Lopez-Albors, O.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI 2022
Subjects:
Atria
Coronary arterie
Heart
Killer whale
Papillary muscle
Ventricles
Killer Whale
Orca
Orcinus orca
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11577/3415636
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12030347
Description
Summary:The killer whale (Orcinus orca, Linnaeus, 1958) is the largest extant delphinid. Despite its worldwide distribution in the wild and in dolphinariums, its anatomy remains relatively poorly described. In the present study, we describe the detailed morphology of a plastinated killer whale heart. The gross description of the arteries and veins reaching the organ and its coronary vessels are reported. Additional endoscopy and CT (computed tomography) scanning were performed to provide extensive measurements of its parts. In many aspects, the killer whale heart conformed to other delphinid heart descriptions, including position, relative size and shape and specific features such as extensive papillary muscles, trabecular endocardium and trabecula septomarginalis. These characteristics are representative of the delphinid family, suggesting that its functions and capacities are similar to that of other, smaller, dolphins and help understand the conditions in which these predators exert their remarkable physical performance necessary for their survival.

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