Comparative morphometeric study of salt gland in some domesticated and wild marine birds

Abstract EN

The histological structure and statistical of the salt glands were investigated in some domesticated and wild marine birds.

Both species have a well-developed bilateral salt glands lie under the skin in the supraorbital depression of the frontal bone.

The salt glands consist of many concentric polygonal lobes arranged in rows and separated by richly vascularized interlobular connective tissue.

Each lobe is made up of branched secretory tubules lining with single layer of radialy arranged cuboidal cells from a central canal and meshed with connective tissue enriched of blood capillaries.

The duct system of each lobe opens into the central canal that drain in a main duct leads to the anterior of the nasal cavity.

The measurements of the epithelium heights in the domestic pekin duck were significantly lower than the other birds subjected in the present study.