Age and sex changes in the mass, length and width of the scapula of Romanov sheep during ontogenesis

Abstract

The article presents results of morphometric studies of the scapula in the ontogenesis of Romanov sheep. The material was scapula of two-month feta, animals aged up to 12 months and 5-6-year-old sheep. The interval between the ages at the uterine stage was 1 month, and after birth – 3 months. The scapula of two male and two female animals were studied in each age group. In each scapula without scapular cartilage, the mass, length and width were studied. The average data for each indicator and each sex were compared. The results showed that absolute indices of the scapula, i.e., the mass, length and width in male animals significantly exceed those in the female ones. A growth in the scapula mass, length and width is subject to the general biological laws of reducing intensity with aging, i.e., at the uterine stage, it is more intensive for male than for female animals. In contrast to the width, the scapula length significantly increases at the uterine stage. By the one-year-old age, no scapula does not reach its definitive state. One can assume that in females the scapula width will reach its final size earlier, while in males, the scapula mass and length will reach their final values earlier.