Osteological description and mechanical effects of vertebral variations of the specimen of cuvier´s beaked whale ZCA.240704.FV(Ziphius Cavirostris, G. Cuvier, 1823) de Fuerteventura

Abstract

In this paper we present an osteological description and mechanical effects of the vertebral variation of the specimen of Cuvier zca.240704.FV (Ziphius cavirostris, G. Cuvier, 1823). A skeleton of adult female measuring 575 centimeters, stranded in Majanicho (28°44'30.7"N 13°56'15.1"W) in the north on the island of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands on July 24, 2004. The stranding coincided with naval military maneuvers with which the cause of death was associated. The vertebral bones were separated from the soft tissues and were anatomically investigated. The characteristics of the skull and the degree of fusion between the epiphyses and the diaphysis of the thoracic vertebrae, in which no suture lines are observed, correspond to those of an adult female of the species. The spine has a total length of 433.8 cm. And is formed by 47 vertebrae according to the formula: C:Cevical 7 T: Thoracic 9 L: Lumbar 10 Ca: Caudal 21. There are 4 visible cervical vertebrae (the first four vertebrae are fused, the remaining three are independent of each other). The first x thoracic vertebrae have 2 articular faces for the ribs located at the ends of the transverse processes, while the rest have only one. The caudal vertebrae have several structural forms. The thoracic, lumbar and caudal series are very similar.