Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXII, Issue 1
Written by Petronela Mihaela ROŞU, Gabriel PREDOI, Cristian BELU, Bogdan GEORGESCU, Iulian DUMITRESCU, Ştefania Mariana RAITA
The study aims to analyze and describe the morphological characteristics of cheetah limb bone (Acinonyx jubatus), hoping to provide to veterinarians working in zoos and natural reserves and all professionals interested in this species, a number of elements on how to identify species based on morphological skeletal system. For this study it was used an adult cheetah, 7 years old, donated to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , Anatomy Department, by Circus & Variete Globus Bucharest. It should be mentioned that the presence of this cheetah specimen was an opportunity for the Anatomy Department, due to the fact that such specimens are included on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified as vulnerable and with a very scarce possibility to be dissected. Measurements were performed using the ruler, the calipers and the livestock compass. Forelimb bones morphological particularities were described in the study, concluding that the scapula and the long bones of the arm and forearm presents characteristics and proportions useful to determine the species to which they belong. During the study were observed not only anatomical features that appear only in cats (distal half of the humerus was rectilinear, the presence of supracondyloid foramen etc.) but also some different elements (overall appearance af the scapula, concave aspect of the caudal border of ulna etc), which were presented in detail. All these are important in bone analysis in order to their identification.
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