Gestation and prenatal losses in the cane rat, Thryonomys Swinderianus temm (Rodentia: Thryonomidae) in Ghana
2000
Yeboah, S., Department of Zoology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana | Adu, E.K., Animal Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research,
The reproductive organs of 101 pregnant females of the cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) were examined over a period of 5 months in an attempt to estimate prenatal losses at various stages of pregnancy. The study revealed that the vaginal orifice closure occurs for the first time after 51 days of pregnancy when the mean embryo weight is about 1.8 g, and not the first day of gestation as reported elsewhere. There was an occurrence of postpartum oestrus which increased in frequency with the monthly rainfall. Resorption rates also correlated with the rainfall. The mean and modallitter sizes were 3.42 ± 1.16 and 4, respectively. Total prenatal loss was 50.4 per cent of which 8.7 per cent was at the pre-implantation stage. The implication ofthis and the high significant correlation between the body weight of females and the number of implantation sites for the domestication of the cane rat are discussed
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