NASAL MUCOSA RESEMBLING AN OLFACTORY SYSTEM IN THE COMMON MINKE WHALE (BALAENOPTERA ACUTOROSTRATA)

抄録

Although it has long been assumed that modern cetaceans lack nervous system structures that mediate olfaction, recent studies suggest that mysticetes still maintain olfactory nerves. We collected samples of the mucous membrane covering the cribriform plate at the bottom of the dorsal nasal meatus from a mature female common minke whale. The samples were then thin-sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Microscopic observations revealed that the mucosa was covered with a pseudostratified columnar epithelium with vessels, glands, and nerve plexuses in its lamina propria. These histological characteristics resembled those of the olfactory epithelium in terrestrial mammals, suggesting that mysticetes do indeed possess a sense of smell.