Geometric morphometric evaluation of mandibles of four sheep breeds: Bardoka, Ivesi, Polish Mountain sheep and Turcana.

The enduring relationship between humans and domestic sheep has evolved over millennia, showcasing diverse uses such as meat, milk, wool, leather and fur, shaped by geographical, historical, cultural and social factors. The sheep breeds discussed include the Ivesi from Southeastern Anatolia, known for its varied animal products; the resilient Turcana breed of Romania; Kosovo's Bardoka, valued for its triple-purpose characteristics; and Poland's Polish Mountain Sheep, uniquely utilized for milk production in cheese making. Sheep, with their enduring relationship with humans and significant economic importance, have attracted scientific interest in morphometric studies of their mandibles, yielding valuable data applicable across various fields including basic anatomy, veterinary clinical anatomy, zooarchaeology and veterinary forensic medicine. Traditional morphometric studies rely on statistical methods to compare length, depth and angular ratios between anatomical formations, often highlighting differences between specific points but not fully revealing shape variations between distinct groups. Geometric morphometric analysis has emerged as a preferred method in recent years, enabling shape analyses using coordinate data from various imaging techniques, facilitating a comprehensive examination of mandibular morphometrics among sheep breeds across different countries. This study involved four sheep breeds from different countries, namely Ivesi from Turkey, Bardoka from Kosovo, Polish Mountain Sheep from Poland and Turcana from Romania, with a total of 70 mandibles sourced from various veterinary faculties. Mandibular photographs were meticulously captured, focusing on the right side of mandible pairs and placing landmarks and semi-landmarks along the entire edge, enabling geometric morphometric analysis using tpsUtil, tpsDig2 and MorphoJ software. The analysis included principal component analysis, canonical variate analysis and discriminant function analysis for pairwise comparisons, facilitating a comprehensive examination of mandibular shape variations among the different sheep breeds. Using geometric morphometric methods, this study analysed mandibles from four distinct sheep breeds sourced from different countries, revealing notable variations in regions such as the ramus mandibula, angulus mandibula and incisive areas, attributed to genetic, geographical and dietary influences, highlighting the importance of continued research to better comprehend these shape differences.

Evaluation of sex differences in pelvis and femur x-ray images in British shorthair cats by geometric morphometric method.

The study covers British Shorthair cats, which is a popular domestic cat breed in our country and defined as 'brachycephalic' in terms of skull structure. Article focuses on the pelvis and femur region of cats which gynaecological and orthopaedic diseases of this cat breed, which are frequently encountered in clinical practice, is found to be important. It is aimed to reveal the shape differences between male and female individuals using geometric morphometric method. X-ray images were used to examine the pelvis and femurs of cats via geometric method. Radiological images were obtained from a total of 40 British Shorthair cats (20 females and 20 males) in two positions, ventro-dorsal (VD) and latero-lateral (LL), and shape differences between the sexes were examined. As result, it is seen that the measurement points taken from the males are more outward and have sharper angles than the females. Study also shows pelvis is a better choice than femur when it comes to sex discrimination. Although traditional morphometric methods are more useful in clinical practice, it is thought that is important to support or re-evaluate the data with the geometric morphometric method in academic field for a further approach.

Detection of sexual dimorphism of the foramen magnum in cats using computed tomography.

The foramen magnum is a large round or oval opening surrounded by parts of the occipital bone. It connects the cranial cavity with the vertebral canal. The foramen magnum is an important structure having various applications in veterinary practice and forensic medicine. The variability of its shape and sexual dimorphism allow it to be exploited for sex and age identification in different species. This retrospective study used computed tomographic (CT) images of the caudal region of the 102 mixed-breed cat heads (55 males and 47 females). Eight linear measurements of the foramen magnum (FM) and occipital condyles were performed on CT images. The aim of the study was to find out if the linear measurements of the CT images of the foramen magnum showed variability between the sexes of the cats. In general, the values of the linear measurements in male cats were higher than in females. The mean maximum length of the foramen magnum (MLFM) was 11.18 ± 0.84 mm and 10.63 ± 0.72 mm in male and female cats, respectively. The mean maximum internal width of the foramen magnum (MWFM) was 14.43 ± 0.72 mm in males and 13.75 ± 1.01 mm in females. The difference between FM measurements in female and male cats was statistically significant (p value; FML: 0.001, FMW: 0.000). The MLFM confidence interval was 10.41 mm to 10.86 mm in female cats and 10.97 mm to 11.39 mm in males. The confidence interval of MWFM was 13.5 mm to 14.0 mm in female cats and 14.2 mm to 14.66 mm in male cats. With these intervals, we can predict the probability of sex in cats with 95% confidence. It was noted that measurements of the occipital condyles were not sex-determining. The difference in foramen magnum index in female and male cats was statistically insignificant (p value; 0.875). As a result of the study, it was seen that the linear measurements of the foramen magnum were sex-determining.

Sex determination based on morphometric measurements in yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) around Istanbul.

BACKGROUND: Yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis), commonly found in Istanbul and their surroundings, have a monomorphic plumage, like other gull species. For this reason, sex determination cannot be made externally. In this study, a total of 60 adult Yellow-legged gulls, 33 males, and 27 females, collected from the coastal areas of Istanbul, were examined. Discriminating functions were developed to classify males and females using birds that were previously sexed by DNA analysis and abdominal dissection. RESULTS: Head length and bill depth were selected to build the discriminant function by the stepwise analysis. The function classified male gulls with an accuracy of 97.0% and females with an accuracy of 92.6%. Head length alone is the most accurate predictor in terms of the percentage of correct sex determination (90.9% for males, 92.6% for females). CONCLUSIONS: Functions that can easily determine sexual dimorphism for the population of Larus michahellis gulls around Istanbul have been put forward for the first time.

Morphometric analysis of the mandible of Bardhoka autochthonous sheep in Kosovo.

Kosovo, one of the countries in the Balkan Peninsula, has a long tradition in sheep farming, and sheep breeds share triple purpose breed characteristics: milk, meat and wool. Bardhoka sheep, also with triple productive profile, is an important sheep breed because of its economic value with its milk production. In this study, 24 mandibles of adult Bardhoka sheep (12 male and 12 female) aged between 2 and 5 were used. The sheep were acquired from slaughterhouse around Kosovo, and the mandibles were selected without any deformities from healthy sheep. After cleaning the mandibles, a total of 12 morphometric measurements were taken from each sample using digital calliper. The difference between female and male was statistically significant (p < .05) for measurement 11 (height of mandible level of alveolar edge of 3rd molar tooth). The mean value of measurement 11 in male individuals was 42.26 ± 3.96, and it had a higher value than in female individuals (39.37 ± 2.57). In the literature, knowledge related to mandible morphometry of Bardhoka sheep was insufficient. The aim of this study was to determine mean values from osteometric measurements of Bardhoka sheep mandible and obtain references with the values acquired.