MATERIALS AND METHODS 



A titrated plasma sample was ob- 

 tained from a young ( 1-2 years) female 

 California gray whale kept in cap- 

 tivity in San Diego. Calif. The sample 

 was deep-frozen and shipped via air 

 express to Philadelphia where the 

 assays were made. The plasma sample 

 was slighth llpcmic. The prothrombin 

 time, partial thromboplastin time. 

 Factor V. Factor XI, and Factor XII 

 assays were made in the Coagulation 

 Laboratory at the Hospital of the 

 UniversitN of Pennsylvania. It was not 

 possible to do a fibrinogen assay on 

 the sample. 



Standard laboratory procedures em- 

 pkning commercial reagents were 

 used to conduct the assays, with the 

 e.xception of Factor XII where dol- 

 phin, Tiirsh'ps iniiucims. plasma was 

 used as the substrate. Plasma reagent 

 from Factor XI deficient cattle was 

 used for the Factor XI assay. 



RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 



The results of the assays on the 

 gray whale plasma and some results 

 on a few odontocete whales, from the 

 literature, are shown in Tabic I . 



The divergence of our results on 

 the gray whale plasma for prothrom- 

 bin time, partial thromboplastin time. 

 Factor V, and Factor XI assays from 

 those of the two species of odontocete 

 whales can be explained perhaps on 

 the elapsed time between sampling 

 and assay. The presence of a low level 

 of Factor XII in the gray whale plas- 

 ma to the non-existence in odontocete 

 plasma warrants some consideration. 

 The significance of this difference 

 teleologically is not known. One of 

 the problems encountered by deep 

 diving humans is decompression sick- 

 ness. This sickness is attributed to the 

 formation of microdots (disseminated 



W. Medway Is associated with 

 the Department of Clinical 

 Studies, School of Veterinary 

 Medicine, University of Pennsyl- 

 vania, Philadelphia, PA 19104. 



Table 1. — A comparison of some clotting factors between odontocete whales and a baleen whale 

 The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of samples. 



Tursiops 



Orcinus 

 orca- 



Eschnchtius 

 robustus 



Prothrombin time (sec) 



Partial thromboplastin time (ptt) (sec) 



Factor V(%) 



Factor XI (%) 



Factor XI t {%) 



' Lewis, Bayer, and Szeto (1969) 



- Robinson. Kropatkin, and Aggeler (1969). 



■1 Ridgway (1972). 



intravascular coagulation) with re- 

 sulting consequences. It is known that 

 slow-moving acid blood has a pro- 

 pensity to clot faster. This property 

 has been attributed to activation of 

 Factor XII and subsequent clot for- 

 mation. 



Whales dive deeply and are not be- 

 lieved to suffer from decompression 

 sickness. Perhaps the lack of Factor 

 XII or low levels of it is nature's way 

 of protecting the animals. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



The author wishes to express appre- 

 ciation to H. A. Wurzel. Director. 



Coagulation Laboratory. Hospital of 

 the University of Pennsylvania, and 

 his staff as well as to J. C. Sweeney, 

 Naval Undersea Center, San Diego, 

 Calif, for providing the opportunity to 

 make this study on the gray whale. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Lewis. J. H., W. L. Bayer, and I. L. F. Szeto. 

 1969. Coagulation factor XII deficiency 

 in the porpoise. Tursiops Inimatits. Comp. 

 Biocheni. Physiol. .M:667-(-70. 



Robinson. A. J., M. Kropatkin. and P. M. 

 Aggeler. 1969. Hageman factor (factor 

 .XII) deficiency in marine mammals. Sci- 

 ence (Wash.. D. C.) 166:14:0-14::. 



Ridgway. S. H. 197:. Homeostasis in the 

 aquatic environment. In S. H. Ridgway 

 (editor). Mammals of the Sea. p. 65.^. 

 Charles C. Thomas. Springfield. 



MFR Paper 1050. From Marine Fisheries Review. Vol. 

 36. No. 4. April 1974. Copies of this paper, in limited 

 numbers, are available from D83, Tecfinical Informa- 

 tion Division, Environmental Science Information Cen- 

 ter. NOAA. Wasfiington. DC 20235. 



MFR PAPER 1051 



Fluorescent Karyotype of the 

 California Gray Whale 



DEBORAH A. DUFFIELD 



ABSTRACT 



The Jhion-.sccnl kuryolypc of the California .i;ray nhale. Eschrichtius robustus, 

 is presented and the aae of the fluorescent handini; tecltniqiie for distini;uishini,' 

 between various cetacean karyotypes is discussed. 



The California gray whale. E\ch- (Benirschke's unpublished data cited 

 ricliiiiis rohitstiis (Gibbosus) has a in Kulu, 1972; Arnason. 1972). Since 

 diploid chromosome number of 44 reporting of the gray whale karyotype. 



25 



