Abstract
This study demonstrates sexual dimorphism in feline bones based on morphometric analysis of dried flat bones (scapula and os coxa) and long bones (humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia, and fibula) of 92 felines (50 male, 42 female). A total of 58 parameters (flat bones: scapula = 4 and os coxa = 7; long bones: humerus = 8, radius = 9, ulna = 10, femur = 9, tibia = 7, and fibula = 4) were measured using a digital vernier caliper. Twenty-three parameters were found to be significantly different between cats of different sexes and skull shapes. The correlation between the cephalic index and most parameters was negative. Analysis of bone morphometry enabled us to estimate both sex and skull shape with accuracy of up to 96 % and 71 %, respectively, through a stepwise logistic regression model and a stepwise discriminative analysis model. The stepwise logistic regression model was determined to be most suitable for classifying two categories of data and had higher prediction accuracy rate.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for research funding from Chiang Mai University through the research administration office, providing a budget for our Excellence Center in Veterinary Bioscience and Excellence Center in Osteology Research and Training Center, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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K.N. designed and conducted all the experiments. T.P. assisted in the experiments and measured bone samples. K.B., P.C., and B.B. assisted in statistical analysis. K.N., K.B., and B.B. assisted in discussions and writing of the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the manuscript for publication.
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This experiment was performed on dry bones from the collection of the Anatomy Museum, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University. No ethical approval was required for this study.
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Boonsri, B., Pitakarnnop, T., Buddhachat, K. et al. Can feline (Felis catus) flat and long bone morphometry predict sex or skull shape?. Anat Sci Int 94, 245–256 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-019-00480-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-019-00480-8