Development of a new anatomic tool for the study of the occipital region in Delphinus delphis

摘要

Anatomic indexes have proven to be an essential tool in the study of anatomic differences between and within species (Simoens et al. 1994a, Gapert and Last 2004, Muthukumar et al. 2005, Chrószcz et al. 2006). They are often used in descriptive studies; however, these indexes are only accurate within very narrow parameters, and thus are only useful for very specific studies. Our aim is to find and develop a new anatomic tool for the study of Delphinus delphis that can provide us with both greater accuracy and the possibility of using it in a wider scope of research.