Reported Incidences of Parasitic Infections in Marine Mammals from 1892 to 1978

The role of parasites in the lives and deaths of marine mammals has been scrutinized by biologists for decades, but the scientific literature prior to 1978 has been difficult to acquire and time-consuming to search. Now this new bibliography gives researchers a convenient resource for reviewing the classical literature on parasites of marine mammals to assess historical infection prevalence and geographical distribution. Here is a comprehensive list of parasites from marine mammals, based on the scientific literature published between the late 1800’s and 1978, including sources of information, geographical locations of the host/parasite, and possible synonyms suggested by the original sources. It provides a valuable resource for stranding response personnel, aquatic animal veterinarians, marine biologists, and professional parasitologists, and is a critical aid to our further understanding of the intriguing interactions between the marine mammals and their underwater “passengers.”