Thermoregulation in the Scrotal System of the Boar. II. Evaporative Heat Exchange

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Abstract
Histological study of tissues from the snout, side, leg and scrotum of 19 Yorkshire and Poland China boars showed apparently active apocrine glands in all areas except the snout where all glands were of the merocrine type. The glands of the leg were 48.3% apocrine and 51.7% merocrine while those of the side and scrotum were 100% apocrine. The incidence of glands on the scrotum was higher than on the leg which in turn, was higher than on the side. Measurements of evaporation from the back and scrotum of six boars indicated significant variation between boars. There was a significant increase in moisture from the back when the environmental temperature was raised from 24 C to 40 C. No such increase was found for the scrotum. It was concluded that evaporative moisture loss from the scrotal surface is an important heat loss mechanism in spite of the lack of thermal response. Copyright © 1972. American Society of Animal Science. Copyright 1972 by American Society of Animal Science

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