Functional Structure of Metapodial Bones of Cattle

M. Fabiš,F. Tichý,V. Páral

doi:10.2754/avb200473040413

Abstract

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Highlights

In unguligrade guadrupeds, the bones of their metapodia are among the important limb long bones
Having studied rather large series of metapodium bones, we have found that the individual metapodium bones (III and IV) are not equal in length and that not even os metacarpale III et IV, nor os metatarsale III et IV are symmetrical in length
The observation that bone IV is invariably longer of the two in the metatarsus and occasionally in the metacarpus is of interest in connection with the fact that, on the other hand, it is the bone III that is slightly more robust in both the metacarpus and metatarsus

Summary

Introduction

The bones of their metapodia are among the important limb long bones. Bone dimensions are sex-dependent, as documented by Bartosiewicz (1984) who compared the lengths of three long bones in the thoracic limb of cattle (the humerus, the radius, and the metacarpus) and found them longer in bulls than in cows. In the course of prenatal development, there develop and ossify the cartilaginous rudiments of metacarpal (and metatarsal) bones II and V (Martin 1912; Petersen 1922; Küpfer and Schinz 1923; Gjesdal 1969).These rudiments, vanish already during intrauterine development, only the rudimentary os metacarpale V., lying lateral at the base of os metacarpale III et IV, persisting lifelong in cattle. Küpfer and Schinz (1923) observed on their x-ray photographs that from 9 weeks of age, ca 65 days of ontogeny (DO), crown-rump length (CRL) 82 mm, until 6 months of intrauterine development (CRL 520 mm) the ossified diaphyses of bones III and IV of the metapodium are independent. In foetuses CRL 570 and 580 mm, from the same month, the ossified diaphyses lie in close contact, the same as in the foetus CRL 727 mm (end of the 7th month) where the onset of ossification is observed in distal epiphyses

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