The shape and size of the vertebrae of mammals vary from the neck to the tail. The spinal cord passes through the hole in the middle and muscles attach to the spines making movement of the body possible (see diagram 6.2).ĭiagram 6.2 - Cross section of a lumbar vertebrae Each vertebra consists of a ring of bone with spines (spinous process) protruding dorsally from it. The vertebral column consists of a series of bones called vertebrae linked together to form a flexible column with the skull at one end and the tail at the other. It is joined to the spine by means of a flat, broad bone called a girdle and consists of one long upper bone, two long lower bones, several smaller bones in the wrist or ankle and five digits (see diagrams 6.1 18,19 and 20). Each of the four limbs is made to the same basic pattern. The rest of the skeleton of all these animals (except the fish) also has the same basic design with a skull that houses and protects the brain and sense organs and ribs that protect the heart and lungs and, in mammals, make breathing possible. the main bones of the fore and hind limbs, and their girdles and be able to identify them in a live cat, dog, or rabbitįish, frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals are called vertebrates, a name that comes from the bony column of vertebrae (the spine) that supports the body and head. ![]()
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