Fatty acid composition of fats around the mystacial and superciliary vibrissae differs from that of blubber in the saimaa ringed seal ( Phoca hispida saimensis)

Abstract

1. 1. Adipose tissues associated with the mystacial and superciliary vibrissae of the Saimaa seal ( Phoca hispida saimensis) contained 31% of hexadecenoic acid (16:1ϖ7), which was almost twice the already high amount in blubber. The amount of tetradecenoic acid (14:1ϖ5) was also double that in blubber. 2. 2. At the same time the levels of long-chain highly unsaturated docosapentaenoic (22:5ϖ3) and docosahexaenoic acids (22:6ϖ3) were only two-thirds of those found in blubber. 3. 3. It is suggested that the excess of low-melting monoenoic fatty acids (14:1 and 16:1) in adipose tissues near the vibrissae might not be compensation for the low supply of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in these tissues, but that the self-induced excess of monoenoic fatty acids ensured the proper functioning of these well-developed sense organs.