#Dolphin fetus serial#

In all cetacea the broad ligament of the uterus is attached to the lateral side of the corpus uteri and to the inner curvature of the uterine horns and tubae itĬontinues into the mesovarium. The present results were similar to these data. These days wereĬorresponding to from 58 to 61 days after copulation. However, three embryos were observed from 308 to 325 days pre-partum. In the present study, pregnancyĬould not be diagnosed by around 30 days after copulation. Pregnancy diagnosis by ultrasonography is 50 to 60 days after post-breeding or AI. Also a fetus can be identified by the fourth week of gestation. At 52 ± 3 days post-ovulation, the embryo was perfectly recognizable. Not determined whether the uterine horn was on the left or the right side judging from the embryo position.Įarlier detection of uterine fluid and fetal membranes with ultrasonography is possible on bottlenose dolphin as early as day 30 after conception but usually To the right and the left, curving first upwards and then downwards, to continue as the oviducts. The uterus itself contains of a short corpus dividing into the two uterine horns, which run parallel for a short part of their length, and then bend respectively In the present study, embryos were at similar positions to these uterine horns,īetween umbilicus and genital slit, and side of umbilicus where were almost on the center line of dam’s abdomen and were located in right below the peritoneum. In the case of non-pregnant dolphin, uterine horns are located between umbilicus and genital slit, and lies close to the peritoneum. The implantation of the fertilized egg and the development of the placenta take place in the endometrium of the uterine horns. The present study aims not only to investigate where embryo and fetus located in dam’s body during pregnancy by ultrasonography and photograph taken simultaneouslyĪ probe position, but also to estimate how fetal position would be within the birth canal from the orientation of fetal tail fluke which will be emerged towards Additionally, there are few papers that comparing the breech position (fluke-first) and cephalic position (head-first) at the parturition, however, none described the orientation of fetal tail flukes at the breech position. įurthermore, there are few manuscripts which describes how a fetal position will be within the birth canal at parturition. In cetaceans, few of the fetomaternal anatomical structures during pregnancy by ultrasonography has been reported. , the size of follicles before ovulation, size of embryo and fetus, fetal heart beat and movement, as well as the diameter of the fetal head and thorax. Ultrasonography has been used for early pregnancy diagnosis in dolphins, and in most cases measures ovary Ultrasonography is a valuable non-invasive diagnostic tool on small cetaceans in general, especially pregnancy in bottlenose dolphins is best diagnosed with

In Enoshima Aquarium, theįirst record of ultrasonographic examinations on a pregnant cetacean was for a finless porpoise, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis, at a drained pool in In Japan, ultrasonography has been used to diagnose early pregnancy of cetaceans from the 1990s. The use of ultrasonography for monitoring bottlenose dolphin pregnancy started probably around the late 1980s. Reversed during pregnancy and parturition. In the other three cases, the left and right positions of the fetus and the dam’s body are

Position might be RSL (Right Sacrum-Lateral) within the birth canal. In three cases, judging from orientation of fetal tail fluke faced towards left side of the dam, a fetal It was conjectured that the contraction of the dam’s uterus during parturition forced the fetus to invert, and theįetal tail fluke was expelled from the dam’s body. All six calves wereįluke-first births (breech presentation). A snout of fetus is at the top of the uterine horn, and the tail lies close to the cervix. In three cases, the fetal head was located in the dam’s left lateral between umbilicus and genital slit from approximately 90 days The diameter of the embryo sac wasĪpproximately 4 cm. These days were corresponding to from 58 to 61 days after copulation respectively. All embryos were located in right below the peritoneum and observed from 308 to 325ĭays pre-partum. In three out of six cases, two embryos were observedīetween umbilicus and genital slit, and side of umbilicus in the dam’s body. A total of 98 ultrasonographic examinations were included in the study.

#Dolphin fetus serial#

From 2012 to 2017, serial ultrasonographic evaluation of 5 healthy bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, were performed over the course ofĦ pregnancies in Enoshima Aquarium.