Macroscopic digestive anatomy of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), including a comparison of frozen and formalin-stored specimens

Abstract

Digestive tract measurements are often considered species-specific, but little information exists on the degree to which they change during ontogeny within species. Additionally, access to anatomical material from nondomestic species is often limited, with fixed tissues possibly representing the only available source, though the degree at which this material is representative in terms of dimensions and weight is debatable. In the present study, the macroscopic digestive tract anatomy (length of intestinal portions, and tissue weights of stomach and intestines) of n=58 Lemur catta (from neonates to 25 years of age) was quantified, of which 27 had been stored frozen and 31 fixed in formalin. Particular attention was paid to the caecum and the possible presence of an appendix. The intraspecific allometric scaling of body mass (BM)0.46[0.40;0.51] for total intestine length and BM0.48[0.41;0.54] for small intestine length was higher than the expected geometric scaling of BM0.33, similar to literature results on interspecific scaling. This difference in scaling is usually explained by the hypothesis that the diameter of the intestinal tube cannot increase geometrically, to maintain optimal absorption. Therefore, geometric volume gain of increasing body mass is accommodated by more-than-geometric length scaling. Literature describes L. catta as being variable with respect to the presence of an appendix. No appendix was found in specimens of the present study. The proportions of length measurements did not change markedly during ontogeny, indicating that proportions developed in the foetus are already representative for the adult animal. By contrast, width and tissue-mass scaling of the caecum indicated a disproportionate growth of this organ during ontogeny that was not reflected in its length. Compared to overall intraspecific variation, the method of storage (frozen vs. formalin) had no relevant impact on length or weight measurements.