Abstract

…In the course of the pioneer virtopsy-driven stranding response program in Hong Kong (HK) waters, virtopsy using postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) has been implemented to augment conventional necropsy. A growing body of digitally stored anatomical data has become available to assist with biological health and profile investigation. Reconstructed cetacean CT three-dimensional volume rendered images (3DVRI) can be sectioned in any plane and rotated in space, allowing 3D insights of dedicated cranial characters (Fatterpekar et al. 2006, Yuen et al. 2017), including FM. Reconstructed CT 3DVRI also allows researchers to undertake detailed morphometrical analysis of the FM and occipital condyle region without the process of skeletal excarnation (Brough et al. 2013).

The present study aimed to describe the variability and provide baseline morphometric data of the FM and adjacent occipital indices in two finless porpoise species, East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri) (NAS) and Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) (NP), respectively, using CT 3DVRI…