Abstract

Thestudy aims to present baseline data on the reproductive anatomy of a poorly known tropical deer species, Rusa deer (Rusatimorensis). The anatomyoffemalereproductivesystemisdescribedusing seven uniparoushinds, aged between four and eightyears.The various reproductive structures were studied via standard descriptive methods. There was a significant difference in the length and width of both right and left ovaries. The left ovary was slightly larger than the right ovary which indicates that it is physiologically more active. The results of the study showed that the anatomy of female reproductivesystemofR.timorensiswas similartothatobservedindomesticruminantsexceptthattheuterusdidnothaveaninterconualligament and this implies that the uterine horns are anchored in such a way that sperm deposited into only one uterine horn of the Rusa deer will be transported to the other uterine horn (interconualtransport). Unlike the red brocket deer and pampas deer, the cervix of R. timorensis wascharacterizedbysixcervicalringsprojectingintothecervicalcanal. Thisfeatureshouldbetakenintoaccountwhendesigningeffectiveinstrumentationandtechniquesfortranscervicalpassageofsemenduringartificialinseminationinthisspecies. The results from this study have provided baseline data on the reproductive anatomy of this vulnerable species, and the knowledge generated can be useful in the development of appropriate reproductive techniques in order to increase its population in captivityand also enable easy detection of its reproductive anomalies, thus strategies to propagate and conserve the species can established.

Keywords: Anatomy, Female, Reproductive system, Rusa deer, Timorensis