Describing the musculature of mystacial pads in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) using diceCT.

ABSTRACT: Pinnipeds have long, sensitive, moveable mystacial vibrissae. In other mammals, intrinsic muscles contribute to protracting the vibrissae. However, the mystacial muscles of pinnipeds have not yet been systematically described. Using traditional histological methods provides us with two-dimensional muscle images, but having the ability to visualise these structures in three dimensions would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of pinniped vibrissal anatomy, especially given the challenges posed by their large and extremely curved mystacial pad. We predicted that harbour seals would have large, regular intrinsic muscles due to their well-organised, moveable vibrissae. We adopted diffusible iodine contrast-enhanced computer tomography (diceCT) to describe, for the first time, the thre

SUBMITTER: Elder A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11996717 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature