Morphometric Study on the Developing Female Reproductive System of the Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

The study was conducted to understand the normal morphometry of the development of female reproductive organs of the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius). Reproductive organs of apparently normal fetuses (n = 24) were collected from Maiduguri metropolitan abattoir after the slaughter of pregnant dromedary cows. The fetus was aged and grouped into 2–4 months, 4–7 months, 7–10 months, and 10–13 months, representing quarters of pregnancy. The reproductive systems were dissected out of the fetus, and all the organs were measured by using standard measurement techniques. All the parameters measured increased chronologically. In the fourth quarter, the left and right horn measured 7.50 ± 1.86 cm and 5.80 ± 0.79 cm, respectively, the uterine body, cervix, vagina, and vestibule measured 4.28 ± 0.17 cm, 4.69 ± 0.09 cm, 6.75 ± 0.21 cm, and 3.68 ± 0.19 cm, respectively, whereas the whole reproductive tract measured 57.73 ± 1.04 cm. The uterine body and uterine horn had the longest and shortest lengths. The developmental pattern of the female reproductive organs in the dromedary camel reported in this study is the first of its kind. The knowledge of the developmental pattern of the reproductive structures will aid in understanding reproductive cycles, congenital anomalies, and their etiology so that the anomalies can be treated.