Lab 5: Axial Skeleton

What regions of the vertebral column does the shark have?

trunk and caudal

What regions of the vertebrae does the Necturus have?

trunk and caudal

What adaptations does the Necturus have to the trunk vertebrae?

• atlas: first trunk vertebrae; allows the head to move independently

• sacral: fuses with the pevic girdle

What are the regions of the vertebral column in the cat?

• cervical

• thoracic

• lumbar

• sacral

• caudal

What do neural arches do?

form the vertebral canal

What landmark distinguishes the caudal vertebrae from other regions?

hemal arches

What is the body of a vertebra called?

the centrum

What is an articular facet?

a region of articulation between adjacent vertebrae, often between pre and post-zygapophyses

What is the intervertebral disc composed of?

• annulus fibrosus: the outer fibrocartilage ring

• necleus pulposos: the gelatinous center that contains the remnants of the notochord

What centrum shape does the shark and necturus have?

amphicoelous

What centrums shape does the cat have?

acoelus

What landmark distinguishes the atlas?

long projecting transverse processes

What landmarks distinguish the axis?

the large dorsal spinous process and the odontoid process on the ventral surface

What feature distinguishes cervical vertebrae?

transverse foramen

What feature distinguishes thoracic vertebrae?

dramatic spinous processes

What feature distinguishes lumbar vertebrae?

cranial projecting pleurapophyses

What do the sacral vertebrae look like?

many fused vertebrae that are narrow caudally

How can you distinguish the cat’s caudal vertebrae?

they appear more cylindrical and have hemal arches

neural arch

centrum

spinous process

hemal arch

What type of vertebrae of the shark is this?

trunk (no hemal arch)

1. spinal cord

2. centrum

3. notochord

4. spinous process

transverse process

articular facet

neural arches

amphicoelus - concave or hollow edges on both ends

procoelus - hollow on cranial end

acoelus - no hollow ends, intervertebral disc in between

opisthocoelus - hollow on caudal end

heterocoelus

What shape centrum is this?

amphicoelus

What vertebra is this? How can you tell?

This is the atlas, you can tell because of the large transverse processes

1. odontoid process (dens)

2. spinous process

What vertebra is this? How can you tell?

This is the axis, you can tell because of the large spinous process and the odontoid process

What type of vertebra is this? How can you tell?

This is a cervical vertebrae, you can tell because of the presence of transverse foramen

What type of vertebra is this? How can you tell?

This is a thoracic vertebra, you can tell because of the large spinous process

What type of vertebra is this? How can you tell?

This is a lumbar vertebra, you can tell because of the cranial projecting pleuropophyses

What type of vertebra is this?

sacral

What type of vertebra is this?

caudal

manubrium, the first sternebra

sternebra

costal cartilage

xiphisternum - the last sternebra

xiphoid process

capitulum

neck

tuberculum

angle

body