CT Imaging, Macroanatomical and Morphometric Analysis of Os penis in Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal the macroscopic features of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) os penis (baculum), as well as its morphometric measurements with the help of computerized tomography and digital electronic caliper. The study material was obtained from an adult male brown bear weighing approximately 400 kg, which was brought to the Wildlife Protection and Rehabilitation Unit of Kafkas University and died as a result of a traffic accident in the Sarıkamış district of Kars. After the skin and soft tissues around the baculum were removed, they were kept in hydrogen peroxide for 2-3 hours. In the macroscopic examination, it was determined that the baculum was straight, close to the pen, except for a slight curve in the distal part, and ended with a small tubercle at the distal end. A small notch was found in the proximal part. In addition to the prominent sulcus urethralis in the ventral of the baculum, a short groove was also detected in its lateral. In addition to the prominent sulcus urethralis in the ventral of the baculum, a short groove was also detected in its lateral. A cartilage tissue of 11.08 mm in length and 4.67 mm in thickness was determined in the distal of the bone. In the morphometric measurements made with a digital electronic caliper, the length of the baculum was 148.95 mm, while the diameters were measured as 4.58 mm in the distal and 13.72 mm in the proximal, respectively. In computed tomography, baculum length was 148.84 mm, distal diameter length was 5.63 mm, and proximal diameter length was 13.12 mm. In addition, computed tomography measured the length of the cortex as 0.76 mm, the length of the medulla as 5.74 mm in the distal, and the cortex length of 0.77 mm and the medulla length of 5.32 mm in the proximal region. As a result, in this study, the macroanatomical and morphometric features of the brown bear baculum, which live in high altitude and cold climate conditions, were revealed.