Comprehensive Anatomy of the Skeletal System: Bones, Joints, and Functions

What is osteology?

The study of the skeletal system.

What is the primary function of the skeleton?

To provide the basis for external structure and appearance.

What are bones made of?

Living structures that contain blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves.

What vital organs are protected by the skeleton?

The brain, heart, lungs, and urinary system.

What minerals are primarily stored in bones?

Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P).

What is the medullary cavity?

The space surrounded by the cortex of long bones, filled with marrow.

What is the difference between compact bone and cancellous bone?

Compact bone is dense and forms the exterior, while cancellous bone is spongy and forms a porous network.

What is the epiphysis of a long bone?

The end of a long bone, with proximal closest to the body and distal furthest.

What is the diaphysis?

The cylindrical shaft of a long bone.

What is the function of osteoblasts?

Bone-producing cells responsible for increasing the diameter of bones.

What are long bones?

Bones that are greater in one dimension than others, with a cylindrical shaft and two extremities.

Give an example of a long bone.

Humerus, radius, or ulna.

What are short bones?

Cuboid bones that are approximately equal in all dimensions and filled with spongy bone.

What is the axial skeleton?

The part of the skeleton that includes bones on or attached to the midline, such as the skull and vertebral column.

What does the skull protect?

The brain and supports many sense organs.

What are the three regions of facial bones?

Orbital, nasal, and oral regions.

What is the vertebral column composed of?

Median unpaired irregular bones arranged in five regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and caudal.

What is the vertebral formula for a horse?

C7 T18 L6 S5 Cd15-20.

What is the function of the sternum?

Forms the ventrum of the bony thorax and serves as an attachment for costal cartilages.

What are sesamoid bones?

Bones that resemble sesame seeds and occur along tendons to reduce friction and increase leverage.

What is the function of articular cartilage?

Covers the joint surface of bones to facilitate smooth movement.

What is the role of osteoclasts?

Bone-destroying cells that determine the size of the marrow cavity and thickness of the diaphyseal cortex.

What is the primary function of flat bones?

To protect organs.

What is the significance of the vertebral foramen?

It contains the spinal cord and is formed by the alignment of vertebrae.

What is the function of the maxilla?

Forms part of the upper jaw and contains teeth.

What is the dens in the axis vertebra?

A projection that articulates with the atlas in a pivot joint.

What are the two parts of the skull?

The cranial part (braincase) and the facial part.

What is the purpose of the zygomatic arch?

Partially formed by the zygomatic bone, it borders the ventral and caudal parts of the orbit.

What is the xiphoid process?

The xiphoid process is the caudal part of the sternum.

What are sternebrae?

Sternebrae are the individual bones of the sternum that fuse as the animal matures.

How many pairs of ribs do most animals have?

Usually, the number of rib pairs equals the number of thoracic vertebrae.

What are the three basic regions of ribs?

The three basic regions of ribs are the shaft, sternal extremity, and vertebral extremity.

What are sternal ribs?

Sternal ribs are ribs whose sternal extremity is attached to the sternum by costal hyaline cartilage.

What are asternal ribs?

Asternal ribs are ribs caudal to the sternal ribs that are not directly connected to the sternum.

What are floating ribs?

Floating ribs are pairs of ribs that have no connection with other ribs at the ventral end.

What is the intercostal space?

The intercostal space is the space between adjacent ribs.

What does the appendicular skeleton consist of?

The appendicular skeleton consists of the bones of the limbs.

What is the function of the clavicle in birds and primates?

The clavicle forms a joint with the scapula.

What is the furcula?

The furcula is a fused clavicle, commonly known as the wishbone in birds.

What is the spine of the scapula?

The spine of the scapula is a ridge that divides the lateral face into supraspinous and infraspinous fossae.

What is the humerus?

The humerus is the long bone of the arm that varies little among animals.

What is the olecranon process?

The olecranon process is the point of the elbow found in all mammals.

What bones make up the antebrachium?

The antebrachium is made up of the radius and ulna.

What is the carpus?

The carpus is a complex region of bones in the forelimb, equivalent to the wrist in humans.

What are the bones in the proximal row of the carpus?

The proximal row includes the radial, intermediate, and ulnar bones.

How are the distal row bones of the carpus numbered?

The distal row is numbered 1-4 from medial to lateral.

What is unique about the carpal bones in pigs?

Pigs have four carpal bones, referred to as the 'ancestral 4'.

What is the role of the radius in the elbow joint?

The radius enters the elbow joint proximally.

What is the role of the ulna in the elbow joint?

The ulna enters the elbow joint distally.

What is the primary function of the appendicular skeleton?

To facilitate movement and support the limbs.

What bones make up the thoracic limb's metacarpus in horses?

A single large metacarpal bone (cannon) and two small metacarpal bones (splint).

What is the consequence of trauma to the splint bones in horses?

It may lead to lameness or blemishes.

How many metacarpal bones do pigs have?

Four metacarpal bones, with the 1st absent and the 2nd & 5th reduced in size.

What are the names of the phalanges in a horse's digit?

Proximal phalanx, middle phalanx, and distal phalanx.

What is the distal phalanx in a horse's digit commonly referred to as?

The coffin bone.

What is the metacarpophalangeal joint in horses commonly called?

The fetlock joint.

What bones form the os coxae in the pelvic limb?

Ilium, ischium, and pubis.

What is the largest and most dorsal bone of the pelvis?

Ilium.

What is the caudal prominence of the ischium called?

Tuber ischiadicum, also known as the pin bone in cattle.

What is the smallest bone of the pelvis?

Pubis.

What does the femur articulate with at its proximal end?

The acetabulum of the os coxae to form the hip joint.

What bones make up the true leg (crus)?

Tibia and fibula.

Which bone is larger and located medially in the leg?

Tibia.

What is the function of the calcaneus in the tarsus?

Acts as a lever for muscles extending the hock.

How are the bones of the distal row of the tarsus numbered?

From 1 to 4, medial to lateral.

What is the main difference in the tarsal bones of horses compared to other animals?

Horses have the 1st and 2nd tarsal bones fused into a single bone.

What is the role of the sesamoid bones in a horse's digit?

They provide support at the joint between the metacarpal and proximal phalanx.

What are the two types of joints found in the tarsus?

Hinge joint and gliding joint.

What is the significance of the pelvic symphysis?

It connects the two os coxarum ventrally.

What is the anatomical term for the joint between the femur and tibia?

Stifle joint.

What is the anatomical term for the joint between the tibia and talus?

Tibiotarsal joint.