A fractured right mandible with midlength nonunion and oral lesions were noted in a subsistence-harvested female bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) near Wainwright, Alaska (USA). The cause of the fracture was not apparent. The fracture resulted in misalignment of the mandible. The abnormal mobility at the fracture site probably caused irregular baleen stowage within the oral cavity, leading to breakage of many baleen plates and extensive ulceration of the tongue and lips. Good body condition suggested the fracture was not debilitating.
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1 January 1990
Fractured Mandible and Associated Oral Lesions in a Subsistence-Harvested Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus)
Lee Michael Philo,
Cyd Hanns,
John C. George
Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Vol. 26 • No. 1
January 1990
Vol. 26 • No. 1
January 1990
Balaena mysticetus
bowhead whale
case report
Cetacea
fracture
jaw
mandible