Morphological Criteria for Assessing the Heart of Cattle (Bos taurus taurus L., 1758)

The article establishes morphological and morphometric criteria for assessing the heart of cattle (Bos taurus taurus L., 1758) in physiological norm. The heart is presented as the central organ of the cardiovascular system, whose structural features directly influence productivity, reproductive capacity, and economic use of animals. Its importance is highlighted for species identification of by-products, detection of meat falsification, forensic veterinary examination, and veterinary-sanitary control of slaughter products.

The authors describe the anatomical architecture of the four-chambered heart (two atria and two ventricles with bicuspid and tricuspid atrioventricular valves), its cone-shaped form, topography in the thoracic cavity, and species-specific adaptations to high body mass and intense metabolism.

Key morphometric indicators obtained include: absolute heart mass — 2143.27 ± 38.76 g; relative mass — 0.43 ± 0.006 % of body weight; net mass (without epicardial fat) — 1936.26 ± 41.12 g; height — 23.08 ± 0.11 cm; width — 13.9 ± 0.18 cm; thickness — 8.1 ± 0.12 cm; circumference — 38.08 ± 0.9 cm; heart shape (development) index — 166.04 ± 5.14 % (elongated-narrowed, cone-shaped type).

These reference values form an objective system of diagnostic criteria for identifying hypertrophic, dilated, or dystrophic changes in the myocardium, differentiating pathological and post-mortem alterations, and assessing slaughter products.