Macro-anatomical examination of the viscerocranium in the Blackbird (Turdus merula) Karatavukta (Turdus merula) Viscerocranium'un Makro-Anatomik Olarak İncelenmesi

© 2019 Ataturk Universitesi. All rights reserved.In this study, it was aimed to investigate viscerocranium bones in black-bird (Turdus merula) bird macro-anatomically. In this research, regardless of gender, skulls of seven male and five female adult blackbirds were examined macro-anatomically by maceration. Splanchnocranium bones constituted of lacrimal, nasal, incisive, maxilla, zygomatic, palatine, vomer, quadratum, mandible and hyoid bones. Ethmoid bone was included in the splanchnocranium part by the pressure of orbita. Lacrimal bone was found to be oval and blunt ended. It was seen that nasal bone determines dorsal and lateral borders of the cavum nasi and also nostrils are formed at the end of fusion of extensions constituted together with intermaxillae and nasal bone. It was determined that proc. palatinus of maxilla bone contribute to the shape of palate. Zygomatic bone was also a thin, long, rod-shaped bone formed by the fusion of os jugale and os quadratatojugale, while os vomer was present as a nucleus in this region. It was seen that the mandibula shaped the skeleton of the lower jaw and this bone is formed by incorporating os angulare, os articulare, os supraangulare, os complamentare, os oparculare and os dentale bones. It was observed that the basihyoideum forming the body of the os hyoid bone was rod shaped. It was concluded that data obtained in this study would contribute to the lack of information in this area and it might be a source for systematic field researchers to use in taxonomy.