Morfologia e topografia do fígado e pâncreas de emas Rhea americana

The rhea are ratites birds native of the South American continent, which are considered primitive birds from the standpoint of the phylogenetic group that is highly specialized .This study aimed to characterize gross and microscopically the liver and rhea pancreas. The material was collected in a Wild Animals Multiplication Center, Mossoro-RN, Brazil, (Registration n° 14.78912 IBAMA). It was used 20 young animals aged between two and six months independent of sex. In the rhea the liver is related to the cranial apex of the heart, dorsally with the lungs, esophagus and gastric proventriculus, caudally with the gastric ventricle, the spleen, the duodenum and part of the jejunum. It was dark red color and had only two lobes, being the right lobe slightly smaller than the left. Histologically was lined by a thin connective tissue capsule and each lobe liver could be clearly identified by the presence of central veins, with sinusoids communicating with the veins. The pancreas, ventrally, showed a thin tape formed by a dorsal lobe and a ventral lobe. Longitudinally the pancreas in rhea is located in the dorsal mesentery since the liver until the cranial duodenal flexure, remaining connected the duodenal handles by ligaments. Histologically was composed of a thin capsule of dense connective tissue, with discrete lobules separated by capsular connective tissue, composed of tubuloalveolares structures and pipelines. The liver and pancreas of rhea have morphology similar to that described for domestic poultry.