Chapter 10 - Postcranial skeleton and musculature
Title
Chapter 10 - Postcranial skeleton and musculature
Creator
Thewissen JGM; Hillmann DJ; George JC; Tarpley RJ; Sheffield Gay; Stimmelmayr R; Suydam RS
Publisher
The Bowhead Whale
Date
2021
2021-01-01
Description
The postcranial skeleton of bowhead whales was described in detail more than 100 years ago. The musculature of bowheads has not been studied in detail but matches that of other mysticetes in general features. In this chapter, we focus on some aspects of the skeleton that differs from that of other cetaceans. First, the skeleton of bowheads changes with ontogenetic age. Some of these changes are gross-morphologically, while others are biochemical and histological. Several are related to the life history of the species. Our discussion focuses on the changes in the morphology of the cervical vertebral column, the ontogenetic variation in carpals, and the variation in the hind limb. Individuals with external hind limbs occur infrequently, but there is a great variation in the size of ox coxae, femur, and tibia.
Subject
forelimb; myology; Bowhead whale; muscles; skeleton; Balaena mysticetus; hindlimb;
Rights
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Format
journalArticle
Search for Full-text
Users with a NEOMED Library login can search for full-text journal articles at the following url: https://libraryguides.neomed.edu/home
Pages
137-149
NEOMED College
NEOMED College of Medicine
NEOMED Department
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Update Year & Number
January 2021 List
Citation
Thewissen JGM; Hillmann DJ; George JC; Tarpley RJ; Sheffield Gay; Stimmelmayr R; Suydam RS, “Chapter 10 - Postcranial skeleton and musculature,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed October 2, 2023, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/11543.