European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 14 - Number 3
Eur J Anat, 14 (3): 149-152 (2010)

Morphometric analysis of tongue and dentition in hedgehogs and pangolins

Philip A.O. Adeniyi

Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The gross anatomy, morphometric and histology of the tongue and dentition were studied in African hedgehogs and pangolins. In this study, eight hedgehogs and six pangolins were used. The average body weight and body length of hedgehogs and pangolins were 210.00 ± 11.03 g, 15.80 ± 0.09 cm and 1449.42 ± 220.15 g, 115.75 ± 6.75 cm, respectively. The average tongue weight and length of hedgehogs and pangolins were 1.32 ± 0.09 g, 3.10 ± 0.51 cm, and 19.75 ± 0.85 g, 66.38 ± 11.92 cm respectively, while the relative tongue weight (RTW) and relative tongue length (RTL) were 6.27%, 21.62% and 1.10%, 1.92% respectively. The findings of this work provide baseline data that could be relevant for understanding the anatomical adaptation for their diet, tongue, and dentition.

Keywords: Morphometry, Tongue, Hedgehog, Pangolin, Adaptation, Diet

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)