The morphological study of the soft palate in one humped camel (camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

During rutting period, the male one humped camels, extrudes a
Balloon like organ from one side of the mouth. Twelve heads of
the slaughtered one humped camels from different sexes were
examined. Air was blown through natural openings: mouth,
nares, esophagus and trachea. Cross and longitudinal sections
were made in frozen and formalin fixed specimens. It was
concluded that soft palate in one humped camesl have two almost
equal cavities with two small openings. Their ventral parts situated
against the dorsum of the tongue. The dimensions and volumes of
diverticula were measured in normal and distended ones. Different
coloured resins were injected through openings of the cavities, and
no communications observed between these diverticula. In rutting
period, camels, by contraction of muscles of the soft palate, pushes
it upward and thus prevent access expiratory to the posterior nares.
Consequently, air passing toward the oral cavity, enters into the
diverticula of the soft palate. Since these cavities are more
developed in males than in femaIs, they extrud only in males from
the side of their mouth.