Field use of ultrasonography to characterize the reproductive tract and early pregnancy in a phocid, the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii)

The Anatomical Record : Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology
Michelle R SheroJennifer M Burns

Abstract

The utility of transrectal ultrasonography was tested in a field setting to characterize the reproductive tract and detect early pregnancy (embryonic vesicles < 3 mm in diameter) in 17 multiparous female Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii). Female Weddell seals give birth in October/November each year, followed by the breeding season (December) and embryonic diapause. Transrectal ultrasonography was attempted in January/February 2014 to examine the entire reproductive tract (uterine horns and body, ovaries with follicles and corpora lutea) using a 5-10 MHz linear-array probe with a 70 cm-long extension. A single pregnancy was detected in 14 of 17 seals (82.4%) as a circular or guitar-pick shaped nonechogenic (black) vesicle with a clearly visible echogenic border within the lumen of the uterus. The stage of embryonic development (ostensibly the gestational age) varied markedly among individuals, ranging from a vesicle with no embryo proper to a large fetus with an ocular orbit, nose/mouth, limb buds, spinal column, umbilical cord, and prominent vasculature. Two of the pregnant seals were re-examined 3-6 days after the initial examination to obtain longitudinal growth rates. Images of one or both ovaries were obtained in nin...Continue Reading

References

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Jul 16, 2014·The International Journal of Developmental Biology·Jane C FenelonBruce D Murphy

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Citations

Mar 28, 2019·Scientific Reports·Roxanne S BeltranJennifer M Burns

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