The Morphologic and Morphometric Study on Foot Pads of the Golden Jackal ( <i>Canies Aureus</i> )

The study aimed to detect the morphological and histological structures and morphometric measurements of foot pads using radiography, dissection, and light and scanning electron microscopy in the Golden Jackal (Canies aureus). For this purpose, one adult male and one adult female Golden Jackal (weighing 11 and 12 kg respectively) were used as animal material. Dissection and radiography methods for the macroscopic structure and histological staining (triple stain) methods for the microscopic structure of the foot pads were used. To determine the size and area of the foot pads, the foot pads were first photographed, and then measurements were made from these pictures via the Fiji program. Macroscopically, in the jackal, it was determined that the foot pads were located on the palmar or plantar surface in the paw and pes; the metacarpal (MCP) and metatarsal pads (MTP) were in a triangle shape, and the basal corners of the metacarpal pad were more prominent than those of the metatarsal pad. II. and V. digital pads in both the paw and pes were separated and ovoid-shaped; III. and IV. digital pads uniting in the proximal were shaped like the letter U, with their arms pointing downwards. In SEM images, it was observed that the corneum layer of the epidermis of the digital pads consisted of multilayered keratinized plates resembling fish scales, that there were occasional round-shaped openings in this layer, that cone-shaped protrusions were evident in this layer of MTC and MTP, and that the dermis layer contained abundant connective tissue bundles.