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45447

Morphological and Craniometric Features of the Skull of African Savanna Hare (Lepus microtis) Found in North-Central Nigeria

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Last updated: 22 Jan 2023

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Abstract

African savanna hare (Lepus microtis) belonging to the family Lepori- dae, is a placental mammal with vast economic and scientific importance ranging from the major source of protein for the teaming population to models of laboratory and genetic studies as well as valued game reserve. The aim of this study was to investigate the morphology and craniometric featuresof the skull of African savanna hare found in North-central Nigeria in an attempt to provide basic anatomical data of this wild rodent. The African savanna hare used were sampled from Gwagwalada area council, Federal capital territory, Abuja, Nigeria. Morphological and craniometric measurements were conducted on six skulls. Results showed a foramen on the nasal bone and a non-serrated lateral margin of the margo supraorbital process of the frontal bone. The maxilla was trabeculated while the temporal bone was spongy-like in appearance. The palatine appeared perforated in a W-shape. For craniometric results, the skull weight was 13.4g with the mandible and 9.5g without the mandibles. While the dorsal and ventral skull length was 10.5±0.8 and 7.3±0.9, the dorsal and ventral skull width was 3.1±0.2 and 4.0±0.2 with a dorsal and ventral skull index of 29.52 and 54.79 respectively. The orbital and cranial capacities were 5.8±0.6 and 11.2±0.4, and this could aid the vision and intelligence of this rodent. Our findings have provided baseline information on the skull morphology and craniometrics of the African sa- vannahare, which would be of benefit in understanding morphofunctional and paleontological studies withemphasis on adaptive features necessary for domestication of this rodent.

DOI

10.21608/jva.2017.45447

Keywords

Morphology, Morpho- metrics, Orbits, Peculiarities, Lepus- microtis, Cranial and Facial

Authors

First Name

Ifukibot

Last Name

Usende

MiddleName

I.

Affiliation

Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Email

ifukibot.usende@uniabuja.edu.ng

City

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Orcid

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First Name

Fatima

Last Name

Oyelowo

MiddleName

O.

Affiliation

Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Email

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City

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Orcid

-

First Name

Idris

Last Name

Azeez

MiddleName

A.

Affiliation

Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria

Email

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City

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Orcid

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First Name

Abdulsalam

Last Name

Aminu

MiddleName

E.

Affiliation

Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

10

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

5982

Issue Date

2017-10-01

Receive Date

2017-08-04

Publish Date

2017-10-01

Page Start

85

Page End

107

Print ISSN

1687-9988

Online ISSN

2357-0504

Link

https://jva.journals.ekb.eg/article_45447.html

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https://jva.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=45447

Order

6

Type

Original Article

Type Code

782

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Journal of Veterinary Anatomy

Publication Link

https://jva.journals.ekb.eg/

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Article

Created At

22 Jan 2023