Difference between revisions of "Avian Male Reproductive Tract - Anatomy & Physiology"
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'''''Semniferous Tubules''''' | '''''Semniferous Tubules''''' | ||
| − | * Produce sperm from the epithelium. | + | * Produce '''sperm''' from the epithelium. |
* Interstitial '''Leydig cells''' lie between semniferous tubules. | * Interstitial '''Leydig cells''' lie between semniferous tubules. | ||
== Phallus == | == Phallus == | ||
Revision as of 13:43, 4 July 2008
Testes
- Bean-shaped, paired
- Lie near the cranial pole of the kidney
- Medially, they lie close to the aorta and caudal vena cava.
- Each testical suspended by a short mesochorium and surrounded medially by the abdominal air sac.
- Left tends to be larger than right in immature birds.
- Dimentions increase rapidly with sexual activity.
- In the non-breeding season, testes shrink to almost nothing and become hard to visualize.
- Dormant testes light brown/yellow in colour, turn white when sexually active.
- In some psittacine species, immature or dormant testes may appear black due to melanocytes located in the interstitium.
Semniferous Tubules
- Produce sperm from the epithelium.
- Interstitial Leydig cells lie between semniferous tubules.