Dear MARMAM subscribers,
We are pleased to announce the new publication: "Blowhole anomaly in pantropical spotted dolphin (Delphinidae: *Stenella attenuata*)". Relvas CI, Moore M, Milmann L. Blowhole anomaly in pantropical spotted dolphin (Delphinidae: *Stenella attenuata*). Mar Mam Sci. 2020;1–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12708 *Abstract* The note documented a blowhole anomaly in a pantropical spotted dolphin (*Stenella attenuata*) that occurred in offshore waters of South eastern Brazil (21°11’02.54”S, 39°54’37.74”W) at 1,539 m depths. During the observation an adult with a very distinguished blowhole was observed and the sequence of photos not only recorded the structure, but also the moment when the dolphin opened the blowhole for expiration, inspiration, and closure as it submerges again in the water. It appears that two functional blowholes are present in the individual, with separate nasal passages and blowhole-associated muscles that can be seen in action. The hypothesis of an ontogenetic anomaly since fetal development should not be discarded. The sequence of photographs showed that the individual had control over the closure of the vestibular bag using the closing musculature while submerging. During the sighting and confirmed by the photographs it was apparent that the individual was an adult, suggesting that it had a healthy life. An influence of the nasal apparatus configuration may exist for the individual's vocalization. We believe this is the first record of this type of anomaly in the respiratory tract of a functional odontocete. This article can be found at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.12708 Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly for any queries ( [email protected]) Best wishes, *MSc. Carolina Iozzi Relvas* Marine Mammal Observer (MMO)
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