Abstract
Urogenital systems of two adult male donkeys were studied and the findings compared to that of the stallion. The right kidney, urinary bladder, ureters, testes, epididymis, ductus deferens, accessory genital organs, penis and urethra were found to be similar in many aspects especially their shapes, locations and relationship with associated structures. Dimensions and weights of the urinary and genital organs determined were much smaller and lighter than those of their matches in the stallion. The dimensions of the accessory genital organs were however, close to that of the stallion with the exception of the seminal vesicles which decreases. Certain key differences were also noticed such as the shape of the left kidney of the donkey is heart- shaped with flat dorsal surface and attachment of lateral ligaments of urinary bladder extends to the apex. In addition, the arcuate vessels of the kidneys were fewer; the columnae uretericae, urethral crest and mucosal folds of the bladder were not well pronounced. Despite the fact that both the donkey and the horse belong to the same species of animals, differences exist in the anatomy of their urogenital systems.
Highlights
The donkey (Equus asinus) belongs to the family equidae with the horse and Zebras
Donkeys are known for their exceptional survivability, longevity, low cost, hardiness, resistance to disease, docility, patience and low management requirements compared to other animals like the oxen [7,8]
The dorsal surface was flat while the ventral surface was irregular and markedly convex (Figure 5)
Summary
The donkey (Equus asinus) belongs to the family equidae with the horse and Zebras. There is considerable difference in the types of breeds [1] with no official breed of the donkey [2]. There are over 40 million donkeys worldwide found in Asia, Africa and Latin America thriving mainly in arid and semi-arid areas and are valuable to farmers and traders, providing power and rural transport at low costs [3]. The donkey with an estimated population of over 3 million in Nigeria weighing between 250 kg and 300 kg when in good body condition is found mostly in northern Nigeria. Donkeys are extensively used as a means of transportation and play a remarkable role in agricultural development and draught purposes [5,6]. They are used for tillage operations, weeding, processing of farm produce such as sugarcane crushing, water lifting etc [1]. Donkeys are known for their exceptional survivability, longevity, low cost, hardiness, resistance to disease, docility, patience and low management requirements compared to other animals like the oxen [7,8]
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