Anatomy of the axial and pelvic limb bones of the West African Black-crowned crane (Balearica pavonina pavonina)

Abstract

The study presented gross morphological features of the axial and pelvic limb bones of adult black-crowned crane. The bones were macerated using a standard technique and structural details of the processed bones were highlighted. The skull comprised
of the splanchnocranium and neurocranium, separated by a large bony orbit. The mandible presented a rostral dental bone having minute foramina and a caudal supra-angular bone. The cranial segment of the vertebral axis consists of fifteen cervical and seven free thoracic vertebrae. The caudal portion of the vertebral column fused into a single bony column comprising of notarium, synsacro-lumbar, three-fused primary sacral, and fused three synsacro-caudal vertebrae, respectively. There were six free coccygeal vertebrae, the last presented the pygostyle. The pelvic girdle was formed by the osseous fusion of the ilium, ischium, and pubis. The maximum length of the femur was 10.5 cm, whereas the tibiotarsus was 24.5cm. The tarsometatarsus
comprised of fused metatarsal bones II, III, IV which articulates with the distal row of tarsal bone. There were four functional digits in black-crowned crane. The first digit consists of two phalanges, the second and third digits presented three and four phalanges and the fourth digit consists of five phalanges.