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
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.
Rights
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Format
Book Chapter
Pages
137-149
NEOMED College
NEOMED College of Medicine
NEOMED Department
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Update Year & Number
Jan to Aug list 2021
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 April 25, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/11804.