title: Gross Morphometric Studies on the Tongue, Buccal Cavity and Hard Palate of the Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum).
abstract: This study was designed to assess the gross morphometric studies of the tongue, hard palate and buccal cavity of the fruit bat (Eidolon helvum). Sixty bats of both sexes were used for this study. The tongue was excised, and the weight and various linear measurements were determined. Linear measurements were also determined on the hard palate. The gross distribution of the lingual papillae was observed to be the same in both sexes; values obtained for the weight and length of the tongue were higher in the females, although no statistically significant differences were observed (P > 0.05). The number of ridges on the hard palate displayed sexual dimorphism. Results obtained from this study may find application in the field of comparative and clinical anatomy of wildlife and also in feeding physiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Igado
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Omobowale
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ajadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.|Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Nottidge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002610:Cheek / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014059:Tongue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*