Comparative Gross Anatomical Studies on the Atlas of Chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni) and Sheep (Ovis aries)

A comparative gross anatomical study was conducted on the atlas of Chiru and sheep. A prominent prism shaped dorsal tubercle was present in chiru whereas it was ill-developed in the sheep. Wings of the bone terminated into a rough thin, less convex edge in chiru but it was thicker and more convex in the sheep. Fossa atlantis of chiru was shallower than that of sheep. Anterior border of dorsal arch was wider in chiru but angular in the sheep. In the present study, the biometrical parameters revealed that the values were generally higher in chiru as compared to the sheep.