ABSTRACT
The binturong or bearcat is the largest species of the family Viverridae. It is uncommon in much of its range and has been assessed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list. The size of the head was small, narrow and light in proportion to the body. The skull of the binturong was dolichocephalic as per the cephalic index (56.25). There was no prominent internasal suture and the orbits were incomplete with optic foramen present near the ventral surface. The mean skull length, skull width, skull base length, cranial length, cranial width, cranial height, were 14.95±0.10 cm, 8.47±0.10 cm, 15.07±0.02 cm, 11.16±0.09 cm, 6.56±0.11 cm, 3.16±0.08 cm, respectively. The mean facial length, facial width, maxilla length, maxilla height, distance between infraorbital foramen, diameter of infraorbital foramina, nasal length, nasal width were 4.95±0.08 cm, 6.14±0.12 cm, 4.46±0.01 cm, 3.83±0.02 cm, 4.68±0.10 cm, 0.49±0.07 cm, 2.94±0.03 cm, 1.97±0.11 cm, respectively. Scanty literature available on morphological and morphometrical studies of the skull of binturong. Therefore this present study was aimed to establish a morphometric database that will eventually guide the use of these measurements for diagnosis and treating different disorders
ABSTRACT
The Malayan sun bear is the smallest of the eight bear species. The aim of the research was to investigate the morphological and applied anatomical characteristics of the head region of the Malayan sun bear. The size of the head is large, broad and heavy in proportion to the body. The skull of the Malayan sun bear was mesocephalic according to the cephalic index (80.48). The skull length, skull width, cranial length and maximum skull height was 21.47 cm, 17.28 cm, 17.81 cm and 9.40 cm, respectively. The nasal length, nasal perpendicular height, nasal horizontal-transverse width and nasal circumference were 3.59 cm, 3.50 cm, 3.20 cm and 10.52 cm, respectively. The length and height of the mandible were 14.65 cm and 7.09 cm, respectively. There is no literature available on the regional applied anatomy of maxillofacial and mandibular regions of the Malayan sun bear. Therefore, this study was designed to provide information on morphological and applied anatomical studies on the head region of the Malayan sun bear. This is the first detailed study to provide morphological characteristics of the head region of Malayan sun bear and this information will aid the clinicians in the application of regional anaesthesia in Malayan sun bear