CASE REPORT article

Front. Vet. Sci.

Sec. Zoological Medicine

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1551129

This article is part of the Research TopicThe Dolphins of Sarasota Bay: Lessons from 50 years of Research and ConservationView all 15 articles

Case Report: Shark Bite Resulting in a Urethral Obstruction and Urinary Tract-Body Wall Fistula in a Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida

Provisionally accepted
Krystan A. WilkinsonKrystan A. Wilkinson1*Jennifer N. LanganJennifer N. Langan2,3*Jennifer M. MeeganJennifer M. Meegan4,5Christina N. TomsChristina N. Toms6Robyn Faulkner AllenRobyn Faulkner Allen1Jay C. SweeneyJay C. Sweeney7Deborah A. FauquierDeborah A. Fauquier8Jeremy J. KiszkaJeremy J. Kiszka9Eric T. HostnikEric T. Hostnik10Ashley BarratcloughAshley Barratclough4Michael T. WalshMichael T. Walsh11Randall S. WellsRandall S. Wells1
  • 1Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Sarasota, United States
  • 2Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Brookfield, United States
  • 3College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States
  • 4National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, United States
  • 5US Navy Marine Mammal Program, San Diego, United States
  • 6New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida, United States
  • 7Dolphin Quest, San Diego, United States
  • 8National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, United States
  • 9Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, United States
  • 10College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, United States
  • 11Department of Comparative, Diagnostic and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States

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A juvenile male common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was examined as part of a longterm dolphin research and monitoring program in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Scars consistent with a shark bite, identified as a possible tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), were observed at the proximal ventral peduncle bilaterally, involving the area at the distal genital slit. A left ventrolateral urinary tract-body wall fistula was identified at the cranial margin of the healed shark bite scar. The area was closely associated with palpable scar tissue at the base of the penis within the genital slit. Physical and ultrasonographic examination and attempts at urinary catheter placement supported findings of a urethral stricture with a urethral or vesicocutaneous fistula. Hematuria was detected on urinalysis,; and mild hydronephrosis and lymphadenopathy were observed via ultrasonography. Despite having substantial soft tissue trauma from the shark bite and subsequently developing a urinary tract obstruction with fistula formation, this animal has maintained good body condition since the health exam. Due to the location of the urethral obstruction and fistula, this animal may not be able to reproduce if it survives to breeding age. Long-term prognosis will likely be determined by sequelae of potential progressive hydronephrosis. This case report documents a rare medical condition as a result of a shark bite not previously described in a free-ranging bottlenose dolphin, including unique historical and ensuing behavioral/health data, which is rarely possible when monitoring free-ranging wildlife.

Keywords: ultrasound, Health assessment, cetacean, Marine mammal, Trauma, Radiograph, elasmobranch, tiger shark. (Max. 8

Received: 24 Dec 2024; Accepted: 26 Mar 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Wilkinson, Langan, Meegan, Toms, Faulkner Allen, Sweeney, Fauquier, Kiszka, Hostnik, Barratclough, Walsh and Wells. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Krystan A. Wilkinson, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Sarasota, United States
Jennifer N. Langan, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Brookfield, United States

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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