Macroscopic Studies of the Lower Respiratory System of the Red Sokoto Goat (Capra aegagrus hircus)

Abstract

Samples of the lower respiratory tract from 16 adult red Sokoto goats were used for the present study. Sex differences were not taken into consideration. The trachea extended caudally from the larynx, at the level of the 2nd cervical vertebra to the level of the 3rd thoracic vertebra, where it gave off a tracheal bronchus to the cranial lobe and continued to the level of the 5th thoracic vertebra where it bifurcated into the right and left principal bronchi, just dorsal to the base of the heart. The trachea constituted 13.87 % of the total weight of the lower respiratory system. The mean number of tracheal rings was 11 ± 0.6 and the mean tracheal length was 200.21 mm ± 0.38. Both right and left lungs had cranial, middle and caudal lobes. The right lung had an extra accessory lobe which was absent in the left lung. There was a very highly significant difference (p < 0.001) between the weights of the right and left lungs. There was a very strong positive correlation between the weight of the lungs and the weight of the lower respiratory system (r = 0.91). The present study provides a reference anatomy for future research involving the lower respiratory system of the red Sokoto goat.