First record of atypical pigmentation pattern in fin whale Balaenoptera physalus in the Atlantic Ocean

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms
Séverine Methion, Bruno Díaz López

Abstract

Atypical pigmentation, which is rarely observed in the wild, may influence social interactions between animals and can be detrimental for survival. Hypopigmentation, which is the lack of pigment in a part or on the entire body, is a type of atypical pigmentation pattern that can be either acquired (e.g. vitiligo) or congenital resulting from the inheritance of mutations in pigment-related genes (e.g. albinism, leucism and piebaldism). This study documents atypical pigmentation in a fin whale Balaenoptera physalus off the northwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula (Atlantic Ocean). Photographic and video data collected between 2016 and 2017 on 30 individual fin whales were examined. One fully-grown fin whale exhibited hypopigmentation. Several white patches of different shapes and sizes were present across the body of the fin whale including on the head, body, dorsal fin, flippers, and flukes. The position, shape, and lack of inflammation of the white patches on the whale observed, along with its body length and condition, might indicate that the depigmentation pattern is due to vitiligo. To our knowledge, this is the first case of atypical pigmentation pattern in fin whales described with photographs and video records. As thes...Continue Reading

References

May 1, 1969·American Zoologist·W C Quevedo
Oct 31, 2003·Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine·E H KempA P Weetman
Sep 24, 2004·Physiological Reviews·Andrzej SlominskiJacobo Wortsman
Oct 16, 2004·International Journal of Dermatology·Isabelle ThomasRobert A Schwartz
May 8, 2008·Current Directions in Autoimmunity·Richard A Spritz
Apr 13, 2010·Trends in Genetics : TIG·Joanna K HubbardRebecca J Safran
Dec 3, 2011·Diseases of Aquatic Organisms·Rachel M CassoffMichael J Moore
Dec 6, 2011·The Journal of Heredity·Andrea M PolanowskiSimon N Jarman

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cell Migration

Cell migration is involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes such as embryonic development, cancer metastasis, blood vessel formation and remoulding, tissue regeneration, immune surveillance and inflammation. Here is the latest research.