Auditory ossicles in the ruminants: comparative morphological analysis with the analogues formations of horse

The research describes the topography and morphology of the Ruminants auditory ossicles of the middle ear and compares them with data reported by literature on Equides. The results prove that, in Ruminants, the topography of the ossicles chain is the same as in Equides, while the morphology of the individual ossicle shows substantial differences. These differences are, in particular, about the head and the 3 processes of malleus, the length of the processes of incus, the shape of the stapes and the topography of its processes.