Testicular biometry of free-ranging feral pigs ("Sus scrofa" sp)

Resumo

This study evaluated the testicular biometry of free-ranging feral pigs with a focus on the gonadosomatic index, seminiferous tubule diameter, seminiferous epithelium height, volumetric proportion, volumetric proportion of the of testicular parenchyma components, and length of seminiferous tubules per testis and per gram of testis. Twenty free-ranging feral pigs were captured, castrated and released back into nature. The testes were fixed by tissue perfusion and embedded in plastic resin for histological examinations. Testis weight was approximately 121.0g and gonadosomatic index was 0.21%. Seminiferous tubule diameter was around 242μm and epithelium height was 85μm. The relative length of the seminiferous tubules was 15.7m per gram of testis. The testicular parenchyma was composed of 70% seminiferous tubules and 30% intertubular tissue. In conclusion, the testicular biometry of free-ranging feral pigs is quite similar to that observed in other Suidae species, varying only in terms of the volumetric proportion of testicular parenchyma components and the gonadosomatic index.