Biotemas (Jun 2012)
Anatomical description of arterial segments in the crab-eating raccoon kidney (Procyon cancrivorus)
Abstract
Crab-eating raccoon is a middle-sized animal with a long tail, which is yellowish and has a black and ornate tip, presenting from 5 to 10 dark and yellow rings. The specimens live in equatorial and tropical forests, always close to rivers, swamps, marshes, and mangroves. Two specimens of Procyon cancrivorus were used, both killed by accident and, later on, sent to the Anatomy Laboratory of Universidade Federal de Goias (UFG), in the Jatai campus, where, starting from the renal arteries, the arterial segments were dissected with the aid of a stereoscopic microscope. As a result, the renal arteries were always viewed in a single manner, bifurcating into dorsal and ventral segments, subdivided into ventro-cranial, ventro-medial-cranial, ventro-medial, ventromedial-caudal, ventro-caudal, dorso-cranial, dorso-medial-cranial, dorso-medial, dorso-medial-caudal, and dorso-caudal segments, also observed in rabbit, agouti, wild boar, and ovines. This study showed an arterial distribution pattern which is also identified in the right and left kidneys, the penetration site of renal arteries coincide with the findings in mouse and differ from those in rat, golden hamster, and agouti. According to the distribution and arrangement, the renal morphology of Procyon cancrivorus is similar to that found in pets and wild animals. The recognition of renal artery branches shows to be highly relevant both for surgical interventions and future investigations which enhance the knowledge on this species.
