A Cadaveric Study Using Computed Tomography for Measuring the Ocular Bulb and Scleral Skeleton of the Atlantic Puffin (Aves, Alcidae, Fratercula arctica)
by
, ,
Marcos Fumero-Hernández
1,
Mario Encinoso
1,*,
Ana Sofia Ramírez
2,
Inmaculada Morales
1,
Alejandro Suárez Pérez
2 and
José Raduan Jaber
3,* 
1
Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, 35413 Arucas, Las Palmas, Spain
2
Department of Pathology and Food Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, 35413 Arucas, Las Palmas, Spain
3
Department of Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, 35413 Arucas, Las Palmas, Spain
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2023, 13(15), 2418; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13152418
Submission received: 22 June 2023
/
Revised: 19 July 2023
/
Accepted: 21 July 2023
/
Published: 26 July 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Wildlife and Exotic Animals Anatomy)
Simple Summary
Advanced diagnostic imaging techniques, such as CT, can provide helpful information on the specific structures of the head, such as the ocular bulb, due to their high spatial resolution, avoidance of overlapping structures, and fast imaging acquisition. An adequate knowledge of the eye bird anatomy is essential for clinicians, biologists, and researchers to understand many aspects concerning its biology.
Abstract
Imaging diagnosis plays a fundamental role in avian medicine. However, there are few publications regarding its use in ophthalmology. Seabirds, in particular, present a peculiar ecology since their lives take place in very diverse environments: the aquatic, the terrestrial, and the aerial. This fact implies a series of adaptations at a visual level that are necessary for adequate interaction with the environment. Therefore, knowledge of eye particularities is of great importance for the scientific community since it allows us to deepen our understanding of the ocular anatomy and biology of these animals, which are increasingly present in veterinary and wildlife centers. In our study, we performed a morphometric analysis of the ocular bulb and its internal structures in the puffin (Fratercula arctica) using advanced imaging techniques such as CT.
Keywords:
computed tomography; imaging; ocular morphometry; orbit; sclerotic ring; birds
