A Study on the Morphometric, Macroanatomical Structure, and Arterial Vascularisation of the Upper Digestive System in Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus, Linnaeus 1758).

Rabbits are widely used in biomedical and veterinary research due to some physiological and anatomical similarities to humans. Furthermore, their controllable breeding requirements make them suitable for laboratory experiments. Ten male rabbits were used in the presented study. The arteries supplying the upper digestive system organs were dissected. Morphometric and macroanatomical findings of these organs were taken and organs were imaged using X-ray. In rabbits, the upper lip was found to have a cleft (philtrum). The number of palatine rugae on the palate was determined to be 13 pairs. The average linguae length in rabbits was measured as 52.39±1.75 mm. Torus of the tongue and median sulcus of the tongue was seen prominently on the tongue. Four types of papillae were macroanatomically detected on the linguae. These were filiform papillae, fungiform papillae, vallate papillae, and foliate papillae. The tongue muscles and arteries were dissected and named. The parotid gland was 28.4 mm in length, 57.245 mm in width, and 44.58 g in weight. Total oesophagus length was determined as 15.85 cm and weight was 2.41 g. As a result, this study contributed to the anatomy literature on rabbit upper digestive system organs. In addition, the detailed data obtained will form the basis for future studies and operations on the rabbit upper digestive system.