<div>The previously reported information on the morphology of crested serpent eagle and brown wood owl skeleton is meager as compared to the fowl, thus, the present study was designed to provide the morphological features of the skull of both species. The specimens were procured from four crested serpent eagle and brown wood owls, brought from the Zoological Park, Aizawl for the post mortem examination conducted at the Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Aizawl, Mizoram. After the post-mortem examination, the collected specimens were macerated by the standard maceration technique and radiographs were taken at the Mizoram Health Centre, Aizawl. The skull of both the species consisted of neurocranium and viscerocranium which were separated by two large orbital cavities. The neurocranium was composed of single (occipital, sphenoid, ethmoidal) and paired (temporal, parietal and frontal) bones in both the species. The viscerocranium consisted of single bones (mandible, vomer and hyoid) and paired (quadrate, lacrimal, nasal, premaxilla, maxilla, zygomatic, palatine and pterygoid) bones. The skull of both the species was dolichocephalic as per the cephalic index, which was 52.63&plusmn;0.04 and 68.56&plusmn;0.03 in crested serpent eagle and brown wood owl, respectively. The results showed that there were variations in shape and components of crested serpent eagle and brown wood owl skull bones in comparison with other birds.</div>


<div>Morphometric and Radiographic Characteristics of the Skull in Crested Serpent Eagle (<em>Spilornis cheela</em>) and Brown Wood Owl (<em>Strix leptogrammica</em>)</div>


<p><strong>Background:</strong> In zooarchaeology, reference collections are essential for identifying skeletal remains and for predicting measurements of living animals. To date, the archaeozoological studies in Algeria are still limited and morphometric reference datasets of local breeds are yet to be established. This study aimed to reveal the correlations between measurements of living animals and their skulls.&nbsp;<br />
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<strong>Methods:</strong> A total of 30 females of the Ouled Djellal Algerian White Arab breed were analyzed: 15 adults and 15 young adults. Eight external body measurements were taken before slaughter and the live weight was estimated. After slaughter, the heads were collected, meticulously cleaned, weighed and measured. Sixteen craniometric measurements were taken and two indices were calculated.&nbsp;<br />
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<strong>Result:</strong> The differences between the mean values of young adults and adults were not statistically significant (p&gt;0.05), except for wither height, naso-dental oblique length (CL31), greatest palatal breadth (CB14), greatest breadth across the premaxillae (CB18) and least height of the occipital (CH5). Young adults have a higher neurocranium and are more massive, whereas adults have a wider viscerocranium. Correlations between cranial and external measurements were partially significant, predominantly in adults. The strongest correlation was observed between the thoracic perimeter and condylobasal length (p&lt;0.0001). These results provide a new reference dataset for archaeozoology.</p>


Morphometric and Radiographic Characteristics of the Skull in Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) and Brown Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica)

Craniometric and Morphometric Characterization of Ouled Djellal Algerian White Arab Sheep