Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2019
Keywords
Killer whale, Offshore ecotype, Orcinus orca, Periodontal disease
Abstract
A mature, adult female, offshore killer whale (Orcinus orca) was stranded deceased in Portage Bay, Alaska, in October 2015. Full necropsy examination with histopathology was performed. Consistent with previous studies of offshore killer whales, and thought to be a result of their unique elasmobranch diet, all the teeth were significantly abraded and almost flush with the gingival margin. Age was estimated at 30–35 years based on annuli and growth arrest lines in a remaining tooth. The dentate portion of the mandibles were excised en bloc and frozen until imaging could be completed. Radiography and computed tomography revealed lesions consistent with severe abrasion, pulp exposure and evidence of endodontic and/or periodontal disease in nine of the 15 mandibular teeth present (60.0%). Only five (33.3%) teeth were suspected to have been vital at the time of death based on imaging. Lesions were more severe rostrally, with the caudal teeth less affected. Autolysis precluded gingival histopathology and no teeth were analyzed histologically. Necropsy examination revealed a likely multifactorial cause of death, with most significant lesions including the severe chronic periodontal/endodontic disease with abrasion, inanition and emaciation with possible cardiovascular disease. This case highlights the importance of imaging in evaluating periodontal and endodontic status, especially post mortem when other tissues are no longer available, and demonstrates that periodontal and endodontic disease occur naturally in this species and can be a significant cause of morbidity in mature free-ranging killer whales of the offshore ecotype.
Publication Title
Journal of Comparative Pathology
Volume
168
First Page
35
Last Page
40
DOI
10.1016/j.jcpa.2019.03.001
Required Publisher's Statement
Published Open Access.
Link to publisher version: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021997518304845?via%3Dihub#!
Recommended Citation
Tang, Karisa N.; Winer, J. N.; McKlveen, Tori L.; Etnier, Michael A.; Legendre, L.; Haulena, M.; Delaney, Martha Ann; and Gaydos, Joseph K., "Computed Tomography of the Mandibles of a Stranded Offshore Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)" (2019). Anthropology Faculty and Staff Publications. 39.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/anthropology_facpubs/39
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Killer whale--Stranding--Alaska--Portage Bay (Kodiak Island); Killer whale--Mortality--Alaska--Portage Bay (Kodiak Island); Killer whale--Diseases--Alaska--Portage Bay (Kodiak Island); Periodontal disease--Alaska--Portage Bay (Kodiak Island)
Geographic Coverage
Portage Bay (Kodiak Island, Alaska)
Genre/Form
articles
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
