Anatomical Studies on the Testes and Epididymis of Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)

Abstract:

The current study was conducted to evaluate the microscopic changes of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) testicle. The testes were collected during the castration of the oldest Rehabilitated Asiatic black bear from the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Rescue, Pake Tiger Reserve Forest, Arunachal Pradesh, India. After collection, the samples were processed as per standard protocol. In the present study, it was observed that the testes of the Asiatic black bear were covered by a serous layer of tunica vaginalis. The seminiferous tubules contained numerous spermatogenic cells like spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, secondary spermatocytes, spermatids, and spermatozoa as well as Sertoli cells. The shapes of the Sertoli cells were pyramidal. Among the seminiferous tubules, interstitial cells were observed. The lumens of the epididymis were lined by pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium.