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Investigations were performed on 10 adult individuals of chinchilla ( Chinchilla laniger), midday gerbil ( Gerbillus gerbillus), rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus), guinea pig ( Cavia porcellus) and Egyptian spiny mouse ( Acomys cahirinus). The animals were killed with ether anaesthesia and injected with coloured acryl latex through the abdominal aorta or left heart ventricle. The heads of the animals were fixed in formalin and after decalcification in 5% HNO3, injected arteries of the base of the brain were exposed. The different types of arterial circle of the brain in investigated species were observed. The open type with morphological asymmetry in the anterior part was found in chinchilla. It depended on an unusually strongly developed anterior cerebral artery at the right side. In the midday gerbil the most common form was the closed type of investigated circle, with a lack of typical communicating artery posterior. The morphological asymmetry of the anterior part of the circle without fully developed anterior cerebral artery was found in the rabbit. Typical, the closed type of investigated structure with little individual variability was observed in guinea pig. The most individual variability connected with anterior and posterior part of the Willi's circle was found in the Egyptian spiny mouse where it was difficult to describe the typical arterial circle of the base of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to estimate the pressure distribution under the paws of chinchilla ( Chinchilla laniger) using static pedobarography. We included in our study three healthy chinchilla aged 1–3 year, both sexes, weighted 480–570 g. We performed static pedobarography (PEL 38 podometer) in each chinchilla and we took into account standing on four legs or two hind legs. We found that on standing on four legs, two types of contact area with base in chinchilla exist: first type – the ring shape of contact area with base of forefeet with maximal pressure in forefeet at their central part and elliptic shape of foot contact area with base of hind legs (paws) with longer diameter about twice longer than the shorter one and with maximal pressure in hind legs at their posterior part (greater than pressure under forefoot paws), that a value was 98 g/cm2 In the second type of foot contact area with base a pattern of hind legs was similar to that of forefeet. During standing on two hind legs we distinguished the another type (third) of foot contact area with base that was similar to the first type with the difference made by the fact that animal was standing only on hind paws. In each animal we found also the contact area with base of a tail – the contact area was similar to that of forefeet but the value of pressure was twice decreased. Concluding, the most frequent manner of contact area with base in chinchilla is 4 points contact with hind paws contact area twice greater than contact area of forefeet. Moreover, the fifth point of support can exist – a tail, which is mainly important during standing on the hind paws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]