Descriptive Anatomy of Masseter Muscle in Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon Brachyurus - ILLIGER, 1815)

Abstract

The present study is a descriptive and comparative research of masseter muscle in Maned Wolf, involving dissection, analysis and discussion with domestic dog, relatively, well established. For this, two adult specimens, with no defined age, were used under usual techniques of preparation and dissection in anatomy. In this sense, this work shows that masseter muscle in Maned Wolf is rectangular oblique, dorsal to ventral and rostral to caudal, on lateral side of head and ventrally to the ear, extending from ventral border of zygomatic arch to mandible. In summary, the results reveal that there is a basic anatomical pattern similar to domestic Dog, differentiating its rectangular shape and number of layers. However, this study showed unprecedented characteristic and differences inherent to each species, especially those related to their size and eating habits.