Comparative Anatomical Study on the Muscles of Mastication in the Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and cat (Felis domestica)

Author

Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University

Abstract

The present work is an attempt to give detailed anatomical studies on the muscles of mastication in rabbits and cats, which may be helpful for anatomists in comparative studies as well as in surgical operations. Fresh and formalized heads of twenty-four, apparently healthy, adult domestic rabbits and cats of both sexes were used for manual dissection and bony preparation. The muscles of mastication of the rabbit and cat were dissected, described, weighed, and the areas of their origin and insertion were determined. The obtained results were photographed using a Nikon Digital Camera 20 megapixel, 16x, and discussed with their corresponding features of authors who performed earlier studies in other species. The muscles of mastication showed a variation in relative size, attachments, and laminations between the rabbit and cat. 

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