Morphometric Study on the Developing Kidneys of the Prenatal Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius)

A morphometric study was carried out on the developing kidneys of forty (40) apparently normal fetal dromedary, one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) sampled at the Metropolitan abattoir, Maiduguri, Nigeria. The fetuses were obtained from the four prenatal developmental phases of the dromedary: 2 – 4 months, 4 – 7 months, 7 – 10 months and 10 – 13 months. The renal length and diameter showed significant progressive increase in sizes (p<0.005 to 0.001), so were the renal cortical and medullary lengths (p<0.001). The absolute mean weights of the prenatal kidneys showed significant increase across the growth periods (p<0.001). These progressive increases in absolute mean renal weights were without corresponding increases in the relative mean renal weights known with organ system establishment in mammals. Thus, the dromedary was concluded to have a unique pattern of kidney development.