Our objective was to condition adult male crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) to allow semen collection by digital manipulation of the penis, assess sperm characteristics, and use ultrasonography to assess and measure testes and prostate and determine echotexture, as well as hemodynamics of testicular and spermatic cord arteries. Five captive C. thous (2-5 y, ∼7 kg) were used. After conditioning for digital sperm collection, 13 ejaculates were obtained from two males. Ejaculate characteristics (mean ± SD) were volume (393.2 ± 178.0 μL), concentration (463.7 ± 594.4 × 106 sperm/mL), total sperm number (217.4 ± 304.0 × 106 sperm), total motility (68.0 ± 6.1%), progressive motility (48.8 ± 5.1%) and rapid sperm (57.2 ± 6.8%). The most prevalent sperm morphological defects were abnormal acrosome, small abnormal head, and diadem defect. Under chemical restraint, testes and prostate were evaluated with B-mode and spectral Doppler ultrasonography. Based on ultrasonography, testicular volumes were (2.2 ± 0.7 and 2.1 ± 0.7 cm3 for left and right testes, respectively), whereas prostate dimensions were 2.3 ± 0.4 cm long and 1.5 ± 0.3 cm thick. Lastly, using triplex Doppler, peak systolic velocity (PSV) was higher in testicular versus intratesticular arteries. In conclusion, adult male C. thous were conditioned to allow sperm collection by digital manipulation without urine contamination, enabling evaluation of sperm characteristics. Furthermore, B-mode ultrasound facilitated evaluation of testes and prostate morphometry and echotexture, whereas Doppler was used to characterize testicular blood flow. This was proof of concept for semen collection and baseline data for future male reproductive soundness examinations and development of assisted reproductive techniques in this species.

中文翻译：

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食蟹狐（Cerdocyon tous）精液采集、精子特征及生殖组织超声特征

我们的目标是调节成年雄性食蟹狐 (Cerdocyon thous) 以允许通过阴茎的数字操作收集精液、评估精子特征，并使用超声检查来评估和测量睾丸和前列腺，并确定回声结构以及睾丸的血流动力学和精索动脉。使用了五个圈养的 C. thou (2-5 y, ∼7 kg)。在对数字精子采集进行调理后，从两名男性身上获得了 13 份精液。射精特征（平均值 ± SD）为体积（393.2 ± 178.0 μL）、浓度（463.7 ± 594.4 × 106 个精子/mL）、总精子数（217.4 ± 304.0 × 106 个精子）、总活力（68.0 ± 6.1%）、进行性活力 (48.8 ± 5.1%) 和快速精子 (57.2 ± 6.8%)。最普遍的精子形态缺陷是顶体异常、小头异常和王冠缺陷。在化学约束下，用 B 型和光谱多普勒超声检查评估睾丸和前列腺。根据超声检查，睾丸体积（左右睾丸分别为 2.2 ± 0.7 和 2.1 ± 0.7 cm3），而前列腺尺寸为 2.3 ± 0.4 cm 长和 1.5 ± 0.3 cm 厚。最后，使用三重多普勒，睾丸动脉的峰值收缩速度 (PSV) 高于睾丸内动脉。总之，成年男性 C. thou 被调节为允许通过数字操作收集精子而不会造成尿液污染，从而能够评估精子特征。此外，B 型超声有助于评估睾丸和前列腺形态学以及回声纹理，而多普勒用于表征睾丸血流。