Trichology of Domestic And Wild Animals : A Forensic Approach

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Date
2020
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MAFSU, Nagpur
Abstract
Present work was aimed to develop an iconographic data on structural details of guard hair of domestic and wild animals. Mammalian hair consisted of many cells, arranged in three concentric layers as cuticle, cortex and medulla. Concentric layers showed considerable variations with different species. Hair from wild herbivores could be distinguished grossly from domestic herbivore due to presence of metallic shine. Hair of Domestic Pig, could be identified grossly by splits at hair tip. Shortest hair were found in head and longest in tail region of most species. Maximum total length was observed in Sheep and minimum in Tiger. The effect of species, region and species verses region interaction of hair length could be used as a significant source for species identification. Hair diameter at distal part of hair was reduced in all regions and species. Back region of Spotted Deer had nearly uniform diameter throughout the length of hair. Cuticular scales were longitudinally positioned in dog. Tiger hair showed different cuticular scale patterns viz., streaked, regular wave, irregular wave and single chevron. Medulla was absent at tip of hair in all species and body regions. Wine glass shaped medulla at root of hair was noted in spotted Deer and Nilgai. Microscopically hair tip was bifurcated in Spotted Deer. Wide medulla was found at the root of hair in Sambar. Polygonal medulla cells filled with slate black pigments were found in hair of Sambar. Cortical fusi were noted only in cortex of Hanuman Langur. Dumb-bell shaped hair cross section with large sized medulla was observed in neck, abdomen, thigh and tail regions of Sheep. Strands of medulla cells were arranged to form web pattern in Spotted Deer and Sambar. Cigar shaped hair cross section with large sized medulla was noted in Sambar. Cuticular scale height was highest in Sheep and lowest in Nilgai. Minimum cuticular scale width was noted in Sheep and maximum in Sambar. Minimum number of scales per mm length of hair were found in Sheep while, highest in Domestic Pig. Lowest hair width was observed in Cat and highest in Sambar. Maximum medulla width was noted in Sambar whereas minimum in Domestic Pig. Lowest cortex width was noted in Cat, whereas highest in Domestic Pig. Lowest medulla index was noted in head region of Buffalo and highest in abdomen region of Sambar. Minimum hair index was observed in thigh region of Sheep while, highest in tail region of Hanuman Langur. Cuticular index was found lowest in abdomen region of Sambar and highest in back region of Domestic Pig. Scanning electron microscopy revealed different types of cuticular scale pattern amongst all species with free cuticular scale margins, directed towards tip. Molecular characterization of hair by targeting cytochrome b and 12s rRNA gene was found useful in confirmation of species by isolation of DNA from hair.
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