Morphometric Observations of the Brain of the African Grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus) in Nigeria

Morphometric studies were carried out on the brain of 10 African grasscutter. The mean brain weight was 10.5 0.31 g. The mean brain length (from the olfactory bulb to the medulla oblongata at the level of occipital condyles) was 5.95 0.12 cm. The mean brain height was 1.59 0.10 cm (measured from level of the hypothalamus to the top of the cerebrum). The mean cerebellar weight and length were 1.26 0.05 and 3.48 0.45 cm, respectively. The ratio of the brain to body weight was 0.01. This is bigger than 0.006 Red Sokoto sheep, but smaller than 0.02 of man. Increase in the body weight did not directly affect the brain weight.