Morphometric Correlates of the Ovary and Ovulatory Corpora in the Bowhead Whale, Balaena mysticetus

• Published in: Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) Vol. 299; no. 6; pp. 769 - 797
• Main Authors: Tarpley, Raymond J., Hillmann, Daniel J., George, John C., Zeh, Judith E., Suydam, Robert S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.06.2016
• Subjects: Animals; Balaena mysticetus; bowhead whale; Bowhead Whale - anatomy & histology; Cetacea; Corpus Luteum - anatomy & histology; Female; fetus; Ovary - anatomy & histology; ovary morphology; Sexual Maturation - physiology; Balaena mysticetus; ovary morphology; Cetacea; bowhead whale; fetus

ABSTRACT Gross morphology and morphometry of the bowhead whale ovary, including ovulatory corpora, were investigated in 50 whales from the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off the coast of Alaska. Using the presence of ovarian corpora to define sexual maturity, 23 sexually immature whales (7.6–14.2 m total...