Om Prakash Choudhary & Ishwer Singh

Summary

The phenotypic appearance of the head of animal species depends strongly on the shape of the skull. The morphometric studies of the skull show that variability in the shape and proportions of bones is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The present study was carried out first time on the morphometrical characteristics on skull of Indian Blackbuck. Craniometric measurements for 48 different parts of the skulls of Indian blackbuck were made in this study. All investigated features were expressed as Mean±SE. The craniometric measurements and cephalic indices had been compared with ruminants. The mean lengths of the skulls were found to be 20.68±0.02 cm, with the width and cephalic index to the magnitude of 9.54±0.03 cm and 46.12±0.12 cm, respectively. The cranial length, width and height in blackbuck were 10.40±0.02 cm, 6.13±0.02 cm and 7.13±0.02 cm, respectively. The cranial index was 59.00±0.11. The mean facial length, facial width and facial index were 11.53±0.08 cm, 9.30±0.01 cm and 80.67±0.44 cm, respectively. The mean weight of the skull with mandible in blackbuck was 182.37±0.54.

KEY WORDS: Blackbuck; Skull; Morphometrical; Cephalic index; Cranial index.

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