Abstract
The possibility of estimating the reproductive status of males using computer analysis of the contours of testes and midventral gland (MVG) in digital images was tested in Campbell’s dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli). Relationships between the anogenital distance (AGD) and the diameters of testes and MVG were analyzed. The Pearson coefficient of correlation between the actual size of testes and that estimated from their visible contours proved to depend on the amount of white fat and varied from 0.9 in low-fat to 0.67 in high-fat hamsters. A strong correlation was revealed between the AGD and the diameter of testes in digital images. Both these parameters proved to be significantly greater in the reproductive period than in the non-reproductive (winter) period, while the diameter of MVG remained unchanged. These results agree with data on the winter ecology of Campbell dwarf hamsters and confirm that the above method can be used for assessing seasonal changes in the reproductive status of males.
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