Morphologic and morphometric aspects of the domestic geese trachea

Abstract

The tracheal morphology of 31 domestic geese was studied in order to characterize the morphometric and macroscopic aspects. Domestic geese, adult, male and female, from regular breeders, were utilized. The animals were euthanized by chloroform inhalation and fixed in 10% formaldehyde in aqueous solution. The trachea was dissected, beginning caudal at the larynx, up to its bifurcation inside the coelomatic cavity. The results demonstrated that the goose trachea is formed by 144 ± 12 complete tracheal rings and that has a total length of 33 ± 2.7cm on average. The trachea lumen is ovulated, flattened dorso-ventrally, and cylindrical in the middle part. The morphometric data from goose tracheas in males and females did not differ statistically (P < 0.05), suggesting that with regard to these characteristics there is no sexual dimorphism in this species.

Keywords

• trachea
• goose
• respiratory system