GROSS ANATOMY OF THE MANDIBLE IN MURRAH BUFFALO (Bubalus bubalis)

Abstract

There is no previously reported information on the anatomy of the mandible in Murrah buffaloes; hence the present investigation is designed to provide the morphological features of the mandible of Murrah buffaloes. In this study, twelve mandibles from both male and female Murrah buffaloes were collected after their natural deaths in the states of Rajasthan and Punjab, India. In the present study, the mandible (mandibula) was a paired bone consisted of a body and a ramus. The mandible was the heaviest bone of the skull and both mandibles were unossified as mandibular synchondrosis rostrally. The body of the mandible was subdivided into a rostral part, that contained the incisor teeth and a caudal part, that contained the cheek teeth. The ramus of the mandible was a vertical bony plate that extended from the mandibular body towards the zygomatic arch. The mandibular ramus presented two surfaces, two borders and two extremities. Two surfaces were medial and lateral. The mandibular borders were alveolar and ventral. The anatomy of the mandible of Murrah buffalo has been described in detail in the manuscript and compared with the other large domestic and wild animals as per literature available. It can be concluded from the present study that the mandible of the Murrah buffalo resembled that of other large domestic and wild ruminant animals with few minor morphological differences.