Identificação de espécies de misticetos por meio da morfologia vertebral

Abstract

The mammal collection of the Universidade Federal da Paraíba received a donation of osteological material from cetaceans, originating from the extinct Museu da Terra e do Homem da Paraíba, lacking specific identification. Among the material were large-sized vertebrae. The aim was to identify the material to allow its incorporation into the mammal collection of UFPB. It was conducted morphometric and qualitative analyses of 16 samples of cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and caudal vertebrae. Initially, it was performed a bibliographic review on the morphology and dimensions of mysticete whale vertebrae. We compiled data from 7 species: North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis), Pygmy Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis), Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera brydei), Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), and Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus). We measured and photographed the vertebrae, calculating the average length as the cubic root of the height, width, and length of the centrum. Boxplot graphs revealed distinct patterns among cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and caudal vertebrae. The cervical vertebrae of the studied species overlap only with Balaenoptera musculus, while the thoracic vertebrae showed greater overlap with Balaenoptera physalus. The lumbar vertebrae also exhibited similarity to Balaenoptera musculus, and the caudal vertebrae were less discriminating. The exact identification is mainly limited by the sample size. The study highlights the importance of vertebral classification in contexts where molecular analyses are not feasible, underscoring the relevance of the material to the scientific collection, especially given the vulnerable conservation status of the species.