Sella Turcica Shape as a Marker for Breed and Sex Classification in Sheep

Abstract

Recent anatomical and morphometric studies indicate that the sella turcica is a structurally informative region and a distinctive anatomical formation that can exhibit shape variation among individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in three dimensions, the extent to which sella turcica morphology differs among three sheep breeds (Akkaraman, Morkaraman, Zom) and between sexes. A total of 102 specimens were examined. All skulls were CT-scanned specifically for this study; the sella turcica region was reconstructed as a three-dimensional model, and 12 anatomical landmarks were manually digitized for each specimen. The findings showed that sella turcica size differed among breeds, with the Zom group exhibiting the largest sella turcica size. In contrast, no clear size difference was observed between females and males. Shape assessment also revealed differences among breeds, largely driven by the separation of Zom from Akkaraman and Morkaraman, whereas no distinct sex-related shape pattern was detected. Importantly, the breed-related shape differences persisted after accounting for size effects. Overall, these results suggest that the sella turcica carries a breed-associated morphological signal in sheep, while showing no pronounced sexual differentiation in the present sample.