Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Adhesive Bowel Obstruction (ABO) in a Stranded Narrow-Ridged Finless Porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri)

This case report describes a rare adhesive bowel obstruction in a stranded narrow-ridged finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri) found on the coast of Jeju Island, South Korea, providing detailed documentation of this life-threatening condition in a cetacean species.

2023 Animals 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the intestinal tracts of East Asian finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri) from Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea of China

Researchers found microplastics in the intestinal tracts of East Asian finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri) from the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea of China, providing direct evidence of microplastic ingestion in cetaceans from Asian marine waters.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of Microplastics between Lung Tissues and Intestinal Contents in Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis)

Researchers analyzed both lung tissue and intestinal contents of 11 deceased finless porpoises, marking the first study to examine microplastic inhalation in this species. They found microplastics in both respiratory and digestive systems, with intestinal concentrations roughly 2.5 times higher than those in the lungs. The study demonstrates that marine mammals face microplastic exposure through both breathing and eating, expanding our understanding of how these pollutants accumulate in aquatic wildlife.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Analyzing 13 Years of Cetacean Strandings: Multiple Stressors to Cetaceans in Taiwanese Waters and Their Implications for Conservation and Future Research

A 13-year postmortem study of 73 cetacean strandings in Taiwan identified multiple stressors including disease, fishing gear entanglement, and pollution, with findings informing future conservation priorities for cetaceans in Taiwanese waters.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Pathological findings in stranded harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) with special focus on anthropogenic causes

Post-mortem examination of 612 harbor porpoises stranded in the Netherlands between 2008 and an unspecified end year revealed that anthropogenic causes including bycatch, vessel strikes, and entanglement were among the leading causes of death. The surveillance program identified plastic ingestion in a subset of animals and highlighted the North Sea as a high-risk environment for this sentinel species.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

The Confirmed Stranding of an Adult Female Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812), in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea

This report documents a confirmed stranding record of an adult female Risso's dolphin on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, providing necropsy findings and ecological context for a species classified as 'Least Concern' in the Mediterranean. The case contributes to regional marine mammal stranding databases used to monitor cetacean health.

2023 Natural and Engineering Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Pathologic findings and causes of death of stranded cetaceans in the Canary Islands (2006-2012)

The causes of death of 224 cetaceans stranded on the Canary Islands between 2006 and 2012 were determined by necropsy, with natural causes (good nutritional status, 33.6%) and nutritional stress (23.5%) being most common, but foreign body-related pathology (including plastic ingestion) identified as a cause of death in a subset of animals. The study provides forensic evidence that plastic ingestion contributes to cetacean mortality in this eastern Atlantic region.

2018 PLoS ONE 133 citations
Article Tier 2

First Evidence of Retrospective Findings of Microplastics in Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) From German Waters

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from German waters using retrospective intestinal samples, providing among the first evidence of microplastic accumulation in this top predator cetacean species.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in finless porpoises and their habitats along the Fujian coast of the East China Sea

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in finless porpoises along the Fujian coast of the East China Sea using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) on intestinal samples and habitat water. They found microplastics ubiquitous in both porpoise intestines and surrounding waters, with fibers being the dominant form (86.90% of intestinal MPs), mostly transparent and smaller than 1.0 mm in size.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the Presence of Marine Litter in Cetaceans Stranded in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean Sea)

Researchers performed necropsies on cetaceans stranded in the Balearic Islands of the western Mediterranean Sea, documenting for the first time the presence, types, and quantities of ingested and entangled plastic marine litter, contributing evidence on plastic debris impacts to cetacean populations in this region.

2022 Biology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING FINDINGS IN A BENGAL TIGER (Panthera tigris tigris) WITH CRANIOCERVICAL ARTERY DISSECTION: A CASE REPORT

This veterinary case study documented the clinical and diagnostic imaging findings in a Bengal tiger that died following craniocervical artery dissection, a pathological event triggered by neck trauma from agonistic male tiger behavior. The study characterized the sequence of pathological events that led to neurological deterioration and death.

2024 Slovenian Veterinary Research
Article Tier 2

Preliminary Study on Microplastic Contamination in Black Sea Cetaceans: Gastrointestinal Analysis of Phocoena phocoena relicta and Tursiops truncatus ponticus

Researchers conducted a preliminary study of microplastic contamination in the gastrointestinal tracts of Black Sea harbor porpoises and bottlenose dolphins, documenting microplastic presence and characterizing particle types and polymer compositions.

2024 Animals 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The genomic footprint of whaling and isolation in fin whale populations

Researchers analyzed whole genomes from 50 fin whales in the Eastern North Pacific and Gulf of California, finding that 20th century industrial whaling caused a 99% collapse in effective population size. A small, isolated Gulf of California population avoided whaling and retained genetic viability largely due to rare but crucial gene flow from neighboring populations.

2023 Nature Communications 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Cetaceans and Marine Debris: The Great Unknown

This review examines evidence for plastic and marine debris ingestion and entanglement in cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), finding that while cases of illness and death from plastic ingestion have been documented, many questions about the extent of the problem remain unanswered. The authors call for better standardized reporting to understand the true scale of marine debris impacts on these animals.

2012 Journal of Marine Biology 108 citations
Article Tier 2

A Quantitative Analysis of Microplastics in the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Odontocetes in the Southeast Region of the United States

Researchers quantified microplastic accumulation in the gastrointestinal tracts of toothed whales from the southeastern United States. The study found microplastics present in all examined specimens, indicating that these marine mammals are routinely ingesting microplastic particles from their ocean environment.

2024 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Cetaceans and microplastics: First report of microplastic ingestion by a coastal delphinid, Sousa chinensis

Researchers reported the first documented case of microplastic ingestion by the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), finding microplastics in the intestinal contents of both adult and calf individuals. The findings indicate that both prey consumption and unintentional ingestion are likely exposure pathways for microplastic accumulation in this coastal cetacean species.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the presence of microplastics in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Researchers analyzed three decades of intestinal content data from Western Mediterranean striped dolphins stranded over 30 years, finding microplastics in 90.5% of dolphins, making it one of the highest contamination rates reported in cetaceans.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Tissue-specific microplastic burden in cetacean non-digestive organs

Researchers analyzed microplastic accumulation in non-digestive tissues of nearshore and offshore cetacean species and found widespread contamination, with detection rates exceeding 75% across organs including heart, liver, and lung. The characteristics of microplastics varied more between tissue types than between species, suggesting that organ physiology influences particle accumulation patterns. The study emphasizes the importance of examining multiple tissues to understand the full extent of microplastic pollution in marine mammals.

2025 Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-Trial Ecotoxicological Diagnostic Tool in Cetacean Skin Biopsies

This paper introduces a multi-test ecotoxicological approach for analyzing contaminant exposure in cetaceans using skin biopsies, allowing multiple biomarkers of chemical exposure to be measured from a single small tissue sample. The method helps distinguish the effects of chemical contamination from other threats facing Mediterranean cetacean populations.

2011 InTech eBooks 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of seismic surveying and environmental variables on deep diving odontocete stranding rates along Ireland’s coast

A study along Ireland's coast found that offshore seismic surveying operations increased strandings of long-finned pilot whales, suggesting underwater noise from oil and gas exploration disturbs deep-diving whale species. The research highlights the value of cetacean stranding records for detecting the impacts of human activities on marine mammals.

2016 Proceedings of meetings on acoustics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Cetaceans Stranded on the Portuguese Coast

Researchers examined the intestines of 38 stranded cetaceans along the Portuguese coast and found microplastics in over 92% of the animals. Harbour porpoises had significantly more microplastics than common dolphins, likely due to differences in diet and feeding strategies. The study notes that while the quantities found were not expected to cause immediate harm, the potential for chemical bioaccumulation from plastic additives in cetacean tissues warrants further investigation.

2023 Animals 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion by harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena in the Netherlands: Establishing a standardised method

Researchers examined the stomachs of over 650 harbour porpoises from the Netherlands and found that the rate of plastic ingestion was more than double (15% vs 7%) when a dedicated, standardized detection protocol was used compared to routine inspection. Polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common plastic types found, and the litter appeared to be accidentally swallowed while the animals fed near the sea floor.

2018 AMBIO 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Prevalence in Different Cetaceans Stranded along the Western Taiwan Strait

Researchers examined microplastic prevalence in nine stranded cetaceans of four species along the Western Taiwan Strait, including common dolphins and pygmy sperm whales. Microplastics were detected in the majority of animals, with fibers as the dominant type, highlighting widespread plastic ingestion by apex marine predators in this region.

2024 Animals 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Incidence of marine debris in cetaceans stranded and bycaught in Ireland: Recent findings and a review of historical knowledge

This study examined stranded and bycaught cetaceans in Ireland and found plastic debris — including microplastics — in a substantial portion of the animals, with ingestion increasing over the sampling period. The findings highlight that marine mammals in Atlantic waters face growing exposure to plastic pollution.

2017 Environmental Pollution 214 citations