Sella Turcica Shape as a Marker for Breed and Sex Classification in Sheep

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Anatomy
• Comparative Morphology
• Sheep Breed Analysis

Background:

• The sella turcica, a key anatomical region, shows individual shape variations.
• Understanding these variations can provide insights into species and breed-specific characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate three-dimensional sella turcica morphology differences across Akkaraman, Morkaraman, and Zom sheep breeds.
• To determine if sella turcica morphology differs between male and female sheep.

Main Methods:

• CT-scanning of 102 sheep skulls to create 3D models of the sella turcica.
• Digitization of 12 anatomical landmarks on each sella turcica model.
• Comparative analysis of size and shape variations among breeds and sexes.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in sella turcica size were observed among the three sheep breeds, with Zom sheep having the largest.
• Breed-related shape differences were detected, distinguishing Zom from Akkaraman and Morkaraman sheep.
• No significant differences in sella turcica size or shape were found between male and female sheep.

Conclusions:

• Sella turcica morphology in sheep is associated with breed, carrying a distinct morphological signal.
• The sella turcica does not exhibit pronounced sexual differentiation in sheep based on this study's sample.
• Breed-specific anatomical variations in the sella turcica warrant further investigation in sheep.