Anatomy and Morphometry of Reproductive Organ of Male Mouse Deer (Tragulus javanicus)

Abstract

Mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus) is one of endangered animals that are distributed in tropical forests of Southern Asia, including Java, Sumatera, and Borneo Islands. The mouse deer population is predicted to decrease, as a side effect of high conversion of their habitat into human needs land. However, conservation of this mouse deer is urgently required. Unfortunately, we still lack of scientific information relating to its reproductive system, including anatomical and morphological data. Understanding of the reproductive system is required in developing a suitable technology in mouse deer breeding. This technology will be applied in deer conservation and improvement of their population. The aim of this study was to characterize anatomy and morphometry of male reproductive organs of mouse deer. This study was conducted in Field Laboratory Unit of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB). Growing mouse deer aged 2 to 3 years old and weighed 1.8-2.0 kg were used in this experiment. The reproductive organs of male mouse deer were observed, measured, weighed, and documented. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed descriptively as follow: Penis type of mouse deer was fibroelastic, length of testis was 12.33±2.89 mm and weigh was 0.81±0.17 g, Vas deferens was 113±3.60 mm, Ampula was 17.33±2.87 mm, Vesicularis gland was 18.00±3.46 mm and 5.7±1.10 mm in dimension. The Mouse deer had gland bulbourethralis, with 8.26±1.02 mm in length and 0.86±0.04 g of weight, and length of its free penis of preputium was 58.33±10.41 mm. In conclusion, the male reproductive organ of mouse deer was similar to reproductive organ of other domestic livestocks, they had similarity in dimension of various organs, including primary organ (gonad or testis), accessories gland (ampula, gland vesicularis, and bulbourethralis prostate), channel part, which was consisted of epididymus, vas deferens and urethra, and also organ copulatoris or exterior organ, called penis. On the other hand, penis showed different characteristics from other livestock’s’ penis in its morphology. Their penis showed a clockwise turn spiral-like form, with the 684 Proceeding of the 2nd International Seminar on Animal Industry | Jakarta, 5-6 July 2012 number of rotations was two and a half and showed branch form, which the function was not yet known.