Comparative and morphometric study on sheep and goat digital bones

This study was conducted to examine the phalangeal bones of Karacabey Merino sheep and Hair goats, two breeds widely raised in Türkiye, using morphometric and geometric morphometric methods. These animals, which have a long history of domestication, hold a significant role in human life. As members of the Artiodactyla order, they possess foot structures adapted to various environmental conditions. This study aims to elucidate the morphological differences between sheep and goats. In this study, the forelimbs and hindlimbs of 12 Karacabey Merino sheep and 12 Hair goats were obtained from the Bigadiç Slaughterhouse. After maceration procedures were applied to the collected materials, linear measurements were taken using a caliper. Following the measurements, the specimens were photographed, and geometric morphometric analysis was carried out, including principal component analysis and discriminant function analysis. As a result of the morphometric measurements, it was observed that the values belonging to the Karacabey Merino sheeps were higher than the Hair Goats. Additionally, while the lengths of the phalanx proximalis and phalanx media were greater in the lateral digits, the phalanx distalis was found to be greater in the medial digits. In both species, the phalanx lengths in the forelimbs were found to be greater than those in the hindlimbs. Regarding the width values of the digits, the Karacabey Merino sheep had higher values in the hindlimbs, in contrast to the Hair goat showed higher width values in the forelimbs compared to the hindlimbs. The shape variation analyzed through geometric morphometrics revealed that, in the proximal phalanx, the most prominent changes on the dorsal surface were observed in the left hind limb, specifically at the midpoint of the corpus and the most protruding point of the corpus. In the other limbs, the greatest variation was detected at the tubercles and the widest region of the basis phalangis proximalis. On the abaxial surface of the proximal phalanx, the most significant shape change was found at the eminentia palmaris/plantaris lateralis. In the dorsal aspect of the middle phalanx (phalanx media), the most notable variation in the forelimbs occurred at the proximally extended end of the trochlea phalangis media, in contrast, in the hind limbs, the variation was most evident in the region corresponding to the epiphyseal plate. On the abaxial surface of the phalanx media, variation was observed in different regions in each limb. In the distal phalanx, the most substantial changes on both the dorsal and abaxial surfaces were found at the processus extensorius and at the tip, where the margo dorsalis and margo solearis intersect. Through the analyses conducted in this study and the data obtained from the digits of sheep and goats, it was aimed to identify species-specific characteristics, distinguish between species, and contribute to clinical interventions as well as future research.