Histological features of the vomeronasal organ in the giraffe,Giraffa camelopardalis |
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| Authors: | Daisuke Kondoh Kentaro G. Nakamura Yurie S. Ono Kazutoshi Yuhara Gen Bando Kenichi Watanabe Noriyuki Horiuchi Yoshiyasu Kobayashi Motoki Sasaki Nobuo Kitamura |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nishi 2‐11 Inada‐cho, Obihiro, Japan;2. Obihiro Zoo, Obihiro, Japan;3. Asahiyama Zoo, Asahikawa, Japan;4. Veterinary Pathology, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nishi 2‐11 Inada‐cho, Obihiro, Japan |
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| Abstract: | The vomeronasal organ (VNO) that preferentially detects species‐specific substances is diverse among animal species, and its morphological properties seem to reflect the ecological features of animals. This histological study of two female reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) found that the VNO is developed in giraffes. The lateral and medial regions of the vomeronasal lumen were covered with sensory and nonsensory epithelia, respectively. The vomeronasal glands were positive for periodic acid‐Schiff and alcian blue (pH 2.5) stains. The VNO comprises several large veins like others in the order Cetartiodactyla, suggesting that these veins function in a pumping mechanism in this order. In addition, numerous thin‐walled vessels located immediately beneath the epithelia covering the lumen entirely surrounded the vomeronasal lumen. This sponge‐like structure might function as a specific secondary pump in giraffes. |
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| Keywords: | cartilage gland olfactory system sensory epithelium vessels |
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