Descriptive anatomy of trachea in the tufted capuchin monkey (Sapajus apella)

Abstract

The descriptive study of wild animals’ anatomy enjoys an undeniable importance nowadays. Cerrado constitutes a complex biome which is home to a wide variety of species, among them the tufted capuchin monkey (Sapajus apella); four specimens were used, comparing the results found to the human and veterinary literature, which are already well-established. The specimens were fixed in a 10% formalin aqueous solution, dissected, analyzed in a descriptive way, and photographed. The results show a trachea whose length varies according to the animal’s physique, a variable number of incomplete cartilage rings, and the tube closure, in the dorsal face, occurs by means of musculomembranous tissue. The musculomembranous wall isn’t uniform throughout its length, showing the greatest width at the middle cranial third. So, the trachea in S. apella doesn’t differ much from that observed in the human being and domestic animals, and the variations are, seemingly, related to adaptations to the animal’s physique.

Keywords

• Anatomy
• Comparative anatomy
• Trachea
• Veterinary anatomy