Sawfishes (Family Pristidae) constitute one of the most threatened families of marine fish, and substantial management efforts are required to stabilize and recover their populations worldwide. Philopatry is common in marine animals, including sharks and rays, and can be a key driver of population structure, which in turn determines the most appropriate scale required for effective population a...

In many mammals, hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy and parturition produce neurochemical events that are necessary for the transition from a non-maternal state to a maternal state that occurs when infants are born. However, the nature of these events is mostly unknown. We investigated whether changes in dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) activity within the preoptic area (POA) and striatum...

Rupture of the extraembryonic membranes that form the gestational sac in humans is a typical feature of human parturition. However, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) occurs in approximately 1% of pregnancies, and is a leading cause of preterm birth. Conversely, retention of an intact gestational sac during parturition in the form of a caul is a rare occurrence. Understanding the mo...