Computed tomography and anatomy of the abdominal structures in the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)

Abstract

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is the largest of the Neotropical vermilinguans. This animal is the second mammal most frequently run over on the roads of Cerrado biome, Brazil. Therefore, it is pivotal to know the anatomy of this species to contribute to the clinical care of these animals. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the anatomical structures in the abdominal region of the giant anteater using computed tomography (CT). For this, the tomographic analysis was performed in sequential order in the craniocaudal direction in five giant anteaters. Moreover, four giant anteater corpses were used for anatomical studies, where two corpses were sectioned in cross sections of approximately 3 cm each, and two animals were dissected to identify the abdominal organs. The association between CT and anatomical study allowed the visualization of anatomical structures found in the abdominal cavity, such as the topographic anatomy facilitates the identification of organs on CT images. The findings of this study demonstrated that CT is a good technique to provide detailed information about the anatomical structures in the abdominal cavity and that this study can be used as CT and anatomical reference for veterinarians who care for wild animals.

Novos aspectos morfológicos do aparelho hióide do tamanduá-bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) vivendo na interface homem-fauna no bioma Mata Atlântica, Brasil

“…Probably, this typical arrangement of the hyoid apparatus is an anatomical adaptation to the food intake process in the giant anteater demonstrated in various studies (Borges et al, 2017;Mahdy & Zayed, 2020). The giant anteaters presented the soft palate and the nasal and oral parts of the pharynx extended to the caudal level of the cervical region demonstrated before (Oliveira et al, 2023). The nasal and oral parts of the pharynx extended until the transition between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae, with the laryngeal part of the pharynx starting at this level (Borges et al, 2017;Marques & Schimming, 2020).…”

“…2 A and B). The bones that comprised the hyoid apparatus in the giant anteater are formed by elements that have synovial joints between them (Oliveira et al, 2023;Thrall, 2019) and that appear at the level of the second to sixth cervical vertebrae as demonstrated in radiography analysis (Fig. 2B).…”

Background and common lesions in the female reproductive organs of giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)

“…Another study has been conducted to evaluate the anatomical disposition of organs in the abdominal cavity in this species through computed tomography. All these complementary methods help to improve the detection of reproductive system lesions, contributing substantially to reproductive programs ( 30 ).…”