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| TETSUKA, Masafumi; ASADA, Masatsugu; MOGOE, Toshihiro; FUKUI, Yutaka; ISHIKAWA, Hajime; OHSUMI, Seiji; 手塚, 雅文; 福井, 豊. |
| This study describes the morphological and morphometrical changes associated with prepubertal ovarian development in the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Ovaries were harvested from 94 immature minke whales caught in the Antarctic Ocean during the summer feeding season (December-March). Notable differences in ovarian size and morphology were found among animals. Up to 10 folds difference in ovarian weight was found among prepubertal whales of similar body size. During the prepubertal period, ovaries grew slowly and approximately doubled their weight. The morphologies of right and left ovaries were almost identical while the growth of the ovary appears to occur preferentially on the right side. The most striking morphological feature was... |
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Palavras-chave: Whale; Minke whale; Ovarian development. |
| Ano: 2004 |
URL: http://ir.obihiro.ac.jp/dspace/handle/10322/3034 |
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