Hello and welcome again. I hope you are doing well.
If you want to learn and identify the organs of the urinary system of animals with their specific location, then you are in the right place now.
In this article, we will learn about the structure of different organs of the urinary system of animals (urinary system anatomy) with their specific location.
“This article will focus on identifying different urinary system organ structures in ruminants. I hope to identify urinary system anatomy in other species later. Again, if you want to learn details on different structures, I recommend you follow the class lecture or book.”
Requirements of learning
You should have the following basic knowledge to start learning about the urinary system organs of animals –
- Osteological features of ribs
- Details on Abdominal Cavity (with contents)
- Details on Pelvic floor (with contents)
- Osteological features of Pelvic bones
I hope you have the basic knowledge about these. If you want to memorize, you may go through this article. Again, if you have better knowledge of these topics, you may skip them.
You may learn
- Identification of Osteological Features of Fore Limb’s Bones of Animal (how to identify animal bones, anatomy of the body bones)
- Identification of Osteological Features of Hind Limb Bones of an Animal (how to identify animal bones, anatomy of the body bones)
- Animal Vertebrae Identification (Identification of vertebrae anatomy of animal)
Organs of the urinary system of animals
The organs of the urinary system include –
- Kidney
- Ureter
- Urinary bladder and
- Urethra
We will identify these urinary organs from ruminants with anatomical structures.
Anatomy of kidney
Kidneys are paired and lobulated oval or smooth bean-shaped organs in animals. They are located at the upper cranial part of the abdominal cavity and above the peritoneum (They are called retro-peritoneal organs)
Before identifying the different structures in the kidneys of animals, we need to know the exact location of these two (right and left) kidneys. Okay.
In ruminant
The right kidney is located below the proximal end of the last and first two or three lumbar transverse processes.
However, the position of the left kidney is variable. It is located below and behind the right kidney at the level of the bodies of the third, fourth, and fifth lumbar vertebrae (if the rumen is full). If the rumen is empty, it is located at the same level, partly at the left side of the median plane.
Structure of kidney
Kidneys are considered the main organs of the urinary system. We will identify the following structure from the kidneys of animals –
Right kidney (bean-shaped; flattened)
Left kidney (three surfaced – dorsal, ventral and ruminal)
In the case of goats, the kidneys are bean-shaped, and the surfaces are smooth without any superficial lobulations.
In the case of the horse, you will find a shaped right kidney and a shaped left kidney without superficial lobulation.
In the case of a dog and pig, both kidneys are bean-shaped
If you want to know other important features, then I would recommend you to learn from the comparative anatomy section
Hilus (right kidney – present at the ventral surface and craniomedially; left kidney – present at the convex dorsal surface)
- Capsule of kidney (fibrous capsule)
- Renal vein
- Renal artery
- Renal pelvis
- Major calyx
- Minor calyx
- Cortex of kidney
- Medulla of kidney
- Corticomedullary junction
- Malphagion corpuscles
- The renal pyramid or renal crest
- Renal papillae
Okay, let’s identify these structures from the kidney.
“You should know the details of the anatomical structure of animals’ right and left kidneys. It is recommended that you follow the upcoming articles or follow class lectures.”
You may also learn from the article below –
- Comparative anatomy of different organs of the urinary system from different animals
The anatomical structure of the ureter
They are two tubes (right and left) )-structures generally formed by the union of two major calyces that pass caudally and are finally terminated by the opening of the urinary bladder.
The right ureter originates from the hilus at the ventral surface of the right kidney and opens into the bladder at the caudodorsal aspect.
The left ureter originates from the hilus of the left kidney at the cranial part of the dorsal surface and opens into the bladder again at the caudodorsal aspect.
Organs of the urinary system – bladder
The bladder is a thick-walled muscular sac-like structure that serves as a reservoir of urine. We should know the specific location of the urinary bladder as it is clinically important.
Located at the floor of the pelvic cavity (when empty condition)
Become oval and gets projected to the abdomen (when in distended condition)
We need to identify the following structure from the urinary bladder –
- Body of urinary bladder
- Vertex and
- Neck of the urinary bladder
The urinary bladder’s body is rounded and dorsoventrally compressed. The cranial blind end is known as the vertex.
Anatomy of urethra
In males, the urethra is a tube-like structure that extends from the neck of the urinary bladder to the glans penis. It has two parts –
The pelvic part and penile part
If you want to know more about the organs of the urinary system from other species, then you may read the articles in the comparative anatomy section.
If you want to learn the Histology of urinary system organs, then you may read this article also-
- Histology of Urinary System of Animal (Identification of Urinary System Organs under Microscope)
Conclusion
I hope you have an idea of the organs of the urinary system of animals and will be able to identify these organs from animals based on their most important anatomical features.
If you think more information is needed to learn and identify the structure of organs from an animal’s urinary system, I recommend you learn from class lectures or books.
Again, if you want to learn more about veterinary anatomy online for free (you can find all other articles related to veterinary anatomy), I recommend you connect with me or follow my upcoming articles.
“If possible, I will update or enrich the information, pictures, and videos on this topic in the future.”
If there is any mistake in the above information or if you have any suggestions for me, please let me know in the comment box or through the contact form. Thank you so much.
