%0 Journal Article
%A Molpeceres Diego, Ignacio
%A Martín Ortí, Rosario
%A Loureiro, Juan-Pablo
%A Tostado Marcos, Carlos
%A Tendillo Domínguez, Enrique
%A Santos Álvarez, Inmaculada
%A Pérez Lloret, Pilar
%A González Soriano, Juncal Milagros
%T The Respiratory System of the Arctocephalus australis in Comparison to the Dog as a Land-Carnivore: Are There Adaptations to Marine Life?
%D 2023
%@ 2076-2615
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/73194
%X Marine mammals are divided into three groups, with similar adaptations resulting from their aquatic lifestyle: sirenians, pinnipeds, and cetaceans. The present work focused on the South American fur seal, or Arctocephalus australis, a carnivore included in the pinnipeds group. We assessed whether the anatomical features of the Arctocephalus australis’ respiratory system are comparable to those of other land-carnivores or whether these individuals show anatomical adaptations related to their ability to dive or their breath-holding capacities. We studied 11 cadavers of Arctocephalus australis, which included adult (n = 2) and juvenile (n = 9) individuals, by anatomically dissecting their isolated entire respiratory system. Although it is generally similar to that in land-carnivores, we demonstrated that the Arctocephalus australis’s respiratory apparatus shows several specific characteristics. Therefore, our results are of great importance for clinical diagnostic and wildlife conservation purposes.
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