The Arterial Pattern of Terminal Branch of the Abdominal Aorta in the Male Persian Squirrel (Sciurus Anomalus)

Introduction: The Persian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) is considered the only well-known species of the family Sciuridae in the Middle East. Since some people keep this squirrel as a domestic pet, their attendance at veterinary clinics is increasing. So far, no study has been conducted on the arterial supply of the pelvic cavity and limb in the squirrel. Hence, this research was performed to fill this gap. Methods: Out of 5 adult male Persian squirrels, 2 were used for obtaining the Rhodopas cast and 3 for red-latex injection. To this end, after opening the abdominal cavity, Rhodopas and red-latex were injected into their aortae after branches to the renal arteries to specify their pattern of distribution in the pelvic region and limbs. Results: The abdominal aorta in the pelvic region bifurcates into right and left common iliac arteries. Each common iliac artery is divided into the internal and external iliac arteries. The external iliac artery branches off from pudendoepigastric trunk and lateral circumflex femoral artery. Then this artery in the femoral canal continues as femoral artery branching the medial circumflex femoral, genicular, saphenous arteries and continues as popliteal artery. The internal iliac artery, after branching the umbilical artery, ramifies into 4 branches; cranial gluteal, caudal gluteal, urogenital, and finally the internal pudendal artery as the last branch. Conclusion: The origins of the median sacral, obturator, and cranial gluteal arteries in Persian squirrel are considerably different from other rodents and small mammals.