Cetacean necropsy reports, volume 1

Necropsy reports have been, and will continue to be, important supplements to histological examinations of tissues to determine the causes of death of animals. Volume 1 contains necropsy reports of stranded marine mammals in South Carolina from 1991 to 1993. Twenty-seven reports were prepared during this period. Histology reports from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Washington, D.C., were received for 21 of these animals. Causes of death were suggested by the AFIP through histological examination and gross necropsy findings, for 11 of the 21 animals (52.4%). Preparation of necropsy reports and collection and packaging of tissues by consistent protocols proved to increase the chances of determining the causes of death through histological examination by the AFIP.