Prenatal Development of Vas Deferens in Goats (Capra hircus)

The vas deferens is the tubular structure which transports spermatozoa from epididymis to the urethra. The ampullated part of the vas deferens contained tubuloalveolar glands (Archana, 2006) during postnatal stage. The studies on the prenatal development of vas deferens is scanty, therefore the present paper records the prenatal development of vas deferens in goat. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study was conducted on the 60 foetii ranged from 30 days to full term collected from healthy goats slaughtered at local abattoir. Each foetus was measured for its crown rump length in centimeters with the help of a nylon tape and weighed in grams on analytical balance. The approximate age was computed according to the formula derived by Singh et al. (1979) in goat. These foetii were divided into five groups viz; Group-I (30-60 days), Group-II (61-90 days), Group-III (91-120 days) and Group-IV (121-till term of gestation). The sex of foeti was determined by the appearance of genital swelling, anogenital raphae in I group whereas, in other groups by the development of penis and scrotal sac. The complete male genetalia was collected and the formation of vas deferens was recorded at various stages. The small pieces of the tissues were collected from different parts of the vas deferens and fixed in 10 per cent neutral buffere