Comparative gross anatomy of the sixth cervical vertebra in chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni) and sheep (Ovis aries)

The present study was conducted on the sixth cervical vertebra of chiru and sheep in Kashmir division of state Jammu and Kashmir from April 2016 to August 2016 to arrive at their comparative gross anatomical differences. The cervical vertebrae were macerated by wet maceration, disarticulated, cleaned and arranged in order for various vertebral regions and the sixth cervical vertebra was removed from the specimen. Six cervical vertebrae (sixth) of adult sheep were also utilized for the present study. The morphological features which include body, processes and neural arch and various biometrical observations of the sixth cervical vertebra of chiru were studied, and compared with the same characteristics and parameters of the same vertebrae of sheep. This vertebra of chiru presented a short body, prominent supraspinous and bifid transverse processes and two well-developed lateral notches on posterior aspect of dorsal arch, that differentiate it from sixth cervical vertebra of sheep. The body of the sixth cervical vertebra of chiru was relatively longer (3.8cm) than that of sheep (3.4±0.05cm). The dorsoventral diameter at the anterior and posterior extremity of body of chiru was 2.3 cm and 2.5 cm while as transverse diameter of same was 1.5 cm and 2.3 cm respectively. In case of sheep, the dorsoventral diameter at the anterior and posterior extremity of body was 1.28±0.030cm and 2.05±0.02 cm while as transverse diameter in the same manner was 1.20±0.007 cm and 1.79±0.007 cm respectively in the present study, the biometrical parameters revealed that the values were generally higher in chiru as compared to sheep.