Wildlife Artist's Handbook by Jackie Garner

Author:Jackie Garner [Garner, Jackie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847976086
Publisher: Crowood
Published: 2013-07-29T21:00:00+00:00

MAMMAL STRUCTURE

Mammals are vertebrates: they have an internal skeleton made up of a head, a spine, a ribcage, four limbs and a tail. The skeleton provides support and protects the internal organs. Muscles and ligaments are attached to the skeleton. The proportions and shapes of the bones give each species its characteristic appearance. The skeleton varies hugely between mammal species due to their range of activities and habitats. Some species lack a tail while others lack apparent hind limbs.

The spinal column is made up of five sections of vertebrae: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and caudal. A mammal’s head connects to the ribcage by the cervical vertebrae and the ribcage connects to the pelvis by the lumbar vertebrae. The ribs themselves extend from the thoracic vertebrae, which are located between the cervical and lumbar vertebrae. The sacral vertebrae support the pelvis. The two front limbs connect to the ribcage via the clavicle and the two rear limbs connect to the pelvis. In some animals the clavicle is absent, in which case the connection between scapula and ribcage is made by muscles. The various components move in relation to one another to establish the animal’s pose.

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