Benedykt Skoczylas

The Arteries of the Brain in Hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778)

Research into course and variability of brain arteries in hare were performed on 38 adult hares of both sexes (males 23 and females 15). The arteries were filled with a synthetic latex at a constant pressure introduced with a medical syringe to the left ventricle. The source of blood supply to the brain was internal carotid arteries, whose branches formed an arterial circle of the brain, vertebral arteries, and basilar artery as the result of its anastomosis. Variability focused on a method of departure of middle cerebral arteries, which were multiple vessels in 39.5% of cases and rostral cerebellar arteries. Caudal communicating arteries in hare comprised bilateral anastomosis of internal carotid arteries and final branches of the basilar artery. It stabilized the steady flow of blood to all parts of the brain. Caudal cerebral arteries comprised final branches of the basilar artery. The largest capacity of all the arteries of the brain was observed in the main trunk of the basilar artery. The capacity of these vessels was 4.53 mm3 on average. The factor of capacity of cerebral arteries in relation to weight of the brain reaches a high value in hare. Anat Rec, 298:1774–1779, 2015.

MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SKULL OF AUROCHS (BOS PRIMIGENIUS BOJANUS 1827) FROM THE TUCHOLA FOREST

The aurochs skull was found in Tuchola Forest (the Kujawy and Pomorze Province) in the vicinity of Tuchola. The skull analyzed has come from adult male aurochs, and it is almost complete, only deprived of small fragments of a single incisive bone and the jaw. The osteometric analysis following the method by Duerst [5] was performed. The observations made and measurements taken make it possible to develop our knowledge with further information concerning that extinct species as well as provide information on the occurrence and distribution of aurochs. The measurements made will also facilitate the confrontation of craniometric parameters in aurochs from the Tuchola Forest with the skulls originated from other parts of the country.