Correlation of body weight and other morphometric measurements in Albino rats (Rattus Norvegicus)

Abstract

Relationship between body weight and other morphometric measurements in Albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) was investigated. Morphometric data such as body weight (BDYWT), tail length (TL), body length from nose to anus (BLNA), body length from nose to tail tip (BLNT), tail circumference (TC), tail diameter (TD), and ear length (EL) were collected from fifty live Albino rats involving 28 females and 22 males. The collected data were evaluated using regression analysis, correlation and independent-sample t-test. There was high significant ( P < 0.001) positive correlation between BDYWT and TL, BDYWT and BLNA, BDYWT and BLNT, BDYWT and HL, BDYWT and TC, BDYWT and TD, TC and TL, BLNA and TL, TC and BLNA, TC and BLNT, but the correlation between BDYWT and EL was low. The regression analysis had coefficient of determination ( r 2 ) values ranging from 0.264 to 0.81. Regression analysis with high r 2 value could be exploited in predicting many morphometric traits with great accuracy with the body weight serving as the explanatory or predictor variable. This research also suggested that male and female Albino rats have very similar morphometric characters as the results of independent-samples t-test showed.