Comparative morphological aspect of the study of bones of domestic and wild animals

Abstract

At present, there is not enough information in the available literature about the anatomical features of the skull bones of various animal species, which is relevant when conducting forensic veterinary and medical examinations. Understanding of the structure of living organisms is impossible without anatomical preparations; it is necessary to clearly understand the place and position of each organ, to know all the options for anatomical relationships with neighboring organs. Knowledge of topographic anatomy is extremely important for the practitioner, it is necessary for successful diagnosis and subsequent treatment. The purpose of this work is to compare the bones of the skull of a cat, rabbit and hare, as well as to study their structure and morphometric parameters.Objects and methods. The objects of the study were the skulls of domestic and wild animals: a domestic outbred cat, a rabbit of the Gray giant breed, a brown hare. The work was carried out in several stages: digestion with the addition of sodium bicarbonate, cleaning, bleaching with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, drying, followed by morphometric measurement and visual comparison.Results. In a cat, the premaxillary bone and supraorbital process are absent, the hook of the pterygoid bone is long and rounded inwards. In rabbit and hare skulls, the anterior and posterior supraorbital processes are present on the frontal bone, and the hook of the pterygoid bone is short, sharp, and straight. The interparietal bone of the hare merged with the occipital, while in the rabbit and cat it exists as an independent bone. The information provided will greatly facilitate the conduct of a veterinary forensic examination in the investigation of crimes related to poaching.