THE ANATOMICAL RECORD 298:639–640 (2015)
EDITORIAL The Anatomical Record and Whales: We’re Peas in the Same Pod This august and venerable journal, its editors and authors, love whales! And, it seems, whale workers are pretty found of us as well, as fine anatomical science from the watery deep is continuously swimming into our pages. This month is no exception, with The Anatomical Record providing some unique insights in a Thematic set of papers exploring the head and neck of the magnificent gray whale. Through a fortuitous mix of opportunity and ready scientists, this remarkable Thematic Issue was made possible. A rare gray whale calf stranded on a California beach and, as it was deemed not viable if returned to the sea, was euthanized. Nearby, a pod of comparative and whale anatomists was meeting at the annual meeting of the American Association of Anatomists, the parent association of this journal, in San Diego. Through the good efforts of Eric Ekdale, the Guest Editor of this Thematic Issue, and colleagues at San Diego State, anatomists and whale were brought together. The rest, as they say, is history. . . and some darn good science! Findings from that day are lovingly described in this Issue (Berta et al., 2015; Laitman, 2015) and will keep whale aficionado and novice equally riveted. Although fascinating, this collection of reports on the gray whale of the day is far from unique within our pages. Indeed, it would take a review article onto itself to justly document those who have presented their findings on the denizens of the deep within our pages. So, as not to offend we won’t pick favorites (ok, maybe a few) but will note some to give a taste of the breadth and depth of the reported science within The Anatomical Record. One that deserves a special nod is work by the revered comparative anatomist, George B. Wislocki, Professor and Chair of Anatomy at Harvard in the first half of the last century, who published many articles in The Anatomical Record, including studies on the hypophysis of whales (Wislocki and Geiling, 1936), on the ovary of humpback whales (Demsey and Wislocki, 1941), and on the lungs in porpoises (Wislocki, 1942). Studies by neuroanatomists Lori Marino and colleagues (Marino et al., 2001, 2004a, 2004b) on the brains and brain size in whales became instant classics and were even reported on frequently in the lay press. One of the great whale biologists of our day, Sam Ridgway and his colleagues (2002) offered a fascinating, rare insight into a carcinoma
C 2015 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC. V
found in the brainstem of a right whale, and more recently a detailed examination of the little known cerebellum of dolphins (Hanson et al., 2013). One of our favorite whale anatomists—and whale TV star!— Joy Reidenberg, published some of her most novel findings on whale throats within our pages (Reidenberg and Laitman, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2008). Reidenberg also edited one of the most cited of our special issues focusing on whales, “Anatomical Adaptations of Aquatic Animals” (Laitman, 2007; Reidenberg, 2007). We at The Anatomical Record are both excited and proud of this new addition to our whalescience family. May our science share insights that enable our whale brethren to flourish in safety and health. Jeffrey T. Laitman* Associate Editor The Anatomical Record Kurt H. Albertine Editor-in-Chief The Anatomical Record
LITERATURE CITED Berta A, Ekdale EG, Dem er e TA, Reidenberg JS. 2015. Introduction to the anatomy of the head of a neonate gray whale (Mysticeti, Eschrictius robustus). Anat Rec 298:643–647. Dempsey EW, Wislocki GB. 1941. The structure of the ovary of the humpback whale (Megaptera nodosa). Anat Rec 80:243–257. Hanson A, Grisham W, Sheh C, Annese J, Ridgway SH. 2013. Quantitative examination of the Bottlenose dolphin cerebellum. Anat Rec 296:1215–1228. Laitman JT. 2007. Thar she blows and dives and feeds and talks and hears and thinks: the anatomical adaptations of aquatic animals. Anat Rec 290:504–506. Laitman JT. 2015. A (gray) whale of a tale: a rare view inside one of nature’s majestic animals. Anat Rec 298:641–642. Marino L, McShea DW, Uhen MD. 2004a. Origin and evolution of large brains in toothed whales. Anat Rec 281A:1247–1255. Marino L, Murphy TL, Deweerd AL, Morris JA, Fobbs AJ, Humblot N, Ridgway SH, Johnson JI. 2001. Anatomy and three-dimensional reconstructions of the brain of the white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) from magnetic resonance images. Anat Rec 262:429–439. Marino L, Sherwood CC, Delman BN, Tang CY, Naidich TP, Hof PR. 2004b. Neuroanatomy of the killer whale (Orcinus orca) from magnetic resonance images. Anat Rec 281A:1256–1263. Reidenberg JS. 2007. Anatomical adaptations of aquatic mammals. Anat Rec 290:507–514.
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EDITORIAL
Reidenberg JS, Laitman JT. 1987. The position of the larynx in Odontoceti (toothed whales). Anat Rec 218:98–106. Reidenberg JS, Laitman JT. 1988. Existence of vocal folds in the larynx of Odontoceti (toothed whales). Anat Rec 221:892– 899. Reidenberg JS, Laitman JT. 1994. Anatomy of the hyoid apparatus in Odontoceti (toothed whales): specializations of their skeleton and musculature as compared with those of terrestrial mammals. Anat Rec 240:598–624. Reidenberg JS, Laitman JT. 2008. Sisters of the sinuses: cetacean air sacs. Anat Rec 291:1389–1396. Ridgway SH, Marino L, Lipscomb TP. 2002. Description of a poorly differentiated carcinoma within the brainstem of a white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) from magnetic resonance images and histological analysis. Anat Rec 268:441– 449.
Wislocki GB. 1942. The lungs of the Cetacea, with special reference to the harbor porpoise (Phocaena phocoena, Linneaus). Anat Rec 84:117–123. Wislocki GB, Geiling EMK. 1936. The anatomy of the hypophysis of whales. Anat Rec 66:17–41.
*Correspondence to: Jeffrey T. Laitman, Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Box 1007, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574. Fax: 212-860-1174; E-mail: [email protected] Received 20 January 2015; Accepted: 20 January 2015. DOI 10.1002/ar.23115 Published online 3 March 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary. com).
EDITORIAL The Anatomical Record and Whales: We’re Peas in the Same Pod This august and venerable journal, its editors and authors, love whales! And, it seems, whale workers are pretty found of us as well, as fine anatomical science from the watery deep is continuously swimming into our pages. This month is no exception, with The Anatomical Record providing some unique insights in a Thematic set of papers exploring the head and neck of the magnificent gray whale. Through a fortuitous mix of opportunity and ready scientists, this remarkable Thematic Issue was made possible. A rare gray whale calf stranded on a California beach and, as it was deemed not viable if returned to the sea, was euthanized. Nearby, a pod of comparative and whale anatomists was meeting at the annual meeting of the American Association of Anatomists, the parent association of this journal, in San Diego. Through the good efforts of Eric Ekdale, the Guest Editor of this Thematic Issue, and colleagues at San Diego State, anatomists and whale were brought together. The rest, as they say, is history. . . and some darn good science! Findings from that day are lovingly described in this Issue (Berta et al., 2015; Laitman, 2015) and will keep whale aficionado and novice equally riveted. Although fascinating, this collection of reports on the gray whale of the day is far from unique within our pages. Indeed, it would take a review article onto itself to justly document those who have presented their findings on the denizens of the deep within our pages. So, as not to offend we won’t pick favorites (ok, maybe a few) but will note some to give a taste of the breadth and depth of the reported science within The Anatomical Record. One that deserves a special nod is work by the revered comparative anatomist, George B. Wislocki, Professor and Chair of Anatomy at Harvard in the first half of the last century, who published many articles in The Anatomical Record, including studies on the hypophysis of whales (Wislocki and Geiling, 1936), on the ovary of humpback whales (Demsey and Wislocki, 1941), and on the lungs in porpoises (Wislocki, 1942). Studies by neuroanatomists Lori Marino and colleagues (Marino et al., 2001, 2004a, 2004b) on the brains and brain size in whales became instant classics and were even reported on frequently in the lay press. One of the great whale biologists of our day, Sam Ridgway and his colleagues (2002) offered a fascinating, rare insight into a carcinoma
C 2015 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC. V
found in the brainstem of a right whale, and more recently a detailed examination of the little known cerebellum of dolphins (Hanson et al., 2013). One of our favorite whale anatomists—and whale TV star!— Joy Reidenberg, published some of her most novel findings on whale throats within our pages (Reidenberg and Laitman, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2008). Reidenberg also edited one of the most cited of our special issues focusing on whales, “Anatomical Adaptations of Aquatic Animals” (Laitman, 2007; Reidenberg, 2007). We at The Anatomical Record are both excited and proud of this new addition to our whalescience family. May our science share insights that enable our whale brethren to flourish in safety and health. Jeffrey T. Laitman* Associate Editor The Anatomical Record Kurt H. Albertine Editor-in-Chief The Anatomical Record
LITERATURE CITED Berta A, Ekdale EG, Dem er e TA, Reidenberg JS. 2015. Introduction to the anatomy of the head of a neonate gray whale (Mysticeti, Eschrictius robustus). Anat Rec 298:643–647. Dempsey EW, Wislocki GB. 1941. The structure of the ovary of the humpback whale (Megaptera nodosa). Anat Rec 80:243–257. Hanson A, Grisham W, Sheh C, Annese J, Ridgway SH. 2013. Quantitative examination of the Bottlenose dolphin cerebellum. Anat Rec 296:1215–1228. Laitman JT. 2007. Thar she blows and dives and feeds and talks and hears and thinks: the anatomical adaptations of aquatic animals. Anat Rec 290:504–506. Laitman JT. 2015. A (gray) whale of a tale: a rare view inside one of nature’s majestic animals. Anat Rec 298:641–642. Marino L, McShea DW, Uhen MD. 2004a. Origin and evolution of large brains in toothed whales. Anat Rec 281A:1247–1255. Marino L, Murphy TL, Deweerd AL, Morris JA, Fobbs AJ, Humblot N, Ridgway SH, Johnson JI. 2001. Anatomy and three-dimensional reconstructions of the brain of the white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) from magnetic resonance images. Anat Rec 262:429–439. Marino L, Sherwood CC, Delman BN, Tang CY, Naidich TP, Hof PR. 2004b. Neuroanatomy of the killer whale (Orcinus orca) from magnetic resonance images. Anat Rec 281A:1256–1263. Reidenberg JS. 2007. Anatomical adaptations of aquatic mammals. Anat Rec 290:507–514.
640
EDITORIAL
Reidenberg JS, Laitman JT. 1987. The position of the larynx in Odontoceti (toothed whales). Anat Rec 218:98–106. Reidenberg JS, Laitman JT. 1988. Existence of vocal folds in the larynx of Odontoceti (toothed whales). Anat Rec 221:892– 899. Reidenberg JS, Laitman JT. 1994. Anatomy of the hyoid apparatus in Odontoceti (toothed whales): specializations of their skeleton and musculature as compared with those of terrestrial mammals. Anat Rec 240:598–624. Reidenberg JS, Laitman JT. 2008. Sisters of the sinuses: cetacean air sacs. Anat Rec 291:1389–1396. Ridgway SH, Marino L, Lipscomb TP. 2002. Description of a poorly differentiated carcinoma within the brainstem of a white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) from magnetic resonance images and histological analysis. Anat Rec 268:441– 449.
Wislocki GB. 1942. The lungs of the Cetacea, with special reference to the harbor porpoise (Phocaena phocoena, Linneaus). Anat Rec 84:117–123. Wislocki GB, Geiling EMK. 1936. The anatomy of the hypophysis of whales. Anat Rec 66:17–41.
*Correspondence to: Jeffrey T. Laitman, Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Box 1007, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574. Fax: 212-860-1174; E-mail: [email protected] Received 20 January 2015; Accepted: 20 January 2015. DOI 10.1002/ar.23115 Published online 3 March 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary. com).
