Morphological characterization of the laryngeal cartilages of the Bradypus variegatus sloth (Schinz, 1825)

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https://doi.org/10.21708/avb.2023.17.4.12024

Resumo

The common sloth, Bradypus variegatus is an arboreal mammal, belonging to the order Pilosa of the Xenarthra superorder. It has a wide geographical distribution in some countries in Central and South America. However, there is a need for anatomical studies on the B. variegatus larynx, as this organ is important for the functioning of the respiratory system and for vocalization. Thus, the objective was to describe macro and microscopically the cartilaginous structures of the larynx of the B. variegatus sloth. For this purpose, 10 specimens were used, obtained after natural death. Of these, six specimens were fixed with 20% formaldehyde and kept in a 30% saline solution tank, being subsequently submitted to dissection and separation of the laryngeal cartilages. In the remaining specimens, fixation took place in 10% buffered formaldehyde with 0.01M sodium phosphate buffer (PBS) and pH of 7.3, followed by the preparation of slides stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Macro and microscopic analysis were performed. The sloth's larynx is at the level of the first cervical vertebrae, and as for its composition, the presence of unpaired cartilages, cricoid, thyroid and epiglottis and pairs, the arytenoids, was verified. All of them of the hyaline type, being observed in the thyroid cartilage, process of endochondral synostosis. The epiglottis and cricoid cartilages showed different morphology in comparison with other mammals. The arytenoids showed very evident corniculate processes. And the thyroid cartilage stood out in size compared to the others.

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Table 4. Dimensions of the arytenoid cartilages of dissected Bradypus variegatus sloths.

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Publicado

2023-12-29

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Original Articles / Artigos de Pesquisa

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