Veterinary Practitioner Vol. 18 No. 2 December 2017 ANATOMICAL STUDIES ON THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN, STERNUM AND RIBS OF BAR HEADED GOOSE (ANSER INDICUS) P.J. Doley1, Shalini Suri 2 and K. Sarma3 Division of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology- Jammu, R.S.Pura-181 102, Jammu and Kashmir, India ABSTRACT Revised Received on: 22.05.2017 Accepted on: 28.08.2017 The vertebral column of bar headed goose consisted of 17 cervical vertebrae, 9 thoracic vertebrae, a synsacrum and 5 coccygeal vertebrae. The first two cervical vertebrae were atypical and the remaining 15 were typical showing a large anterior extremity. The bodies of the first 6 adjacent thoracic vertebrae and the free thoracic vertebrae articulated with each other by means of a saddle joint while the last three fused with the synsacrum. The anterior aspect of the bodies of the cervical and thoracic vertebrae showed a transversely concave and dorsoventrally convex articular facet whereas the caudal articular surface showed the opposite curva- ture. Cranio-caudally the synsacrum showed synsacrothoracic vertebrae with well developed dorsal spines and transverse pro- cesses, synsacrolumbar vertebrae, primary sacral vertebrae and synsacrocaudal vertebrae. The sternum of the bar head goose was in the form of quadrilateral bony plate. There were nine pairs of ribs in bar headed goose of which the first pair was floating. Key words: Bar headed goose, vertebral column, synsacrum, ribs and sternum Introduction showed an articular facet for the body of the axis. The bar headed goose (Anser indicus) is known locally The anterior surface of the body of the axis gave origin to a as Rajhans in India. The Bar Headed Geese are hardy birds cranially projecting odontoid process that articulated with the which have been spotted flying at altitudes of 10,000 metres. single occipital condyle. Similar findings were reported by Getty The bar-headed goose migrates high over the Himalayas to (2012) in fowl. The odontoid process was flat dorsally and spend winter on the Indian plains and breeds in Qinghai-Tibet convex and articular ventrally. The articular anterior extremity of Plateau in May and June. They are a passage visitor to the the odontoid process showed a dorsoventral ridge which region of Jammu and an estimated 3500-4000 birds visited articulates with the corresponding groove on the occipital Gharana wet land, R. S. Pura, Jammu during December to condyle. The body of axis below the dens showed a concave March end 2003-04. The present study was conducted on the articular area for the ventral arch of the atlas. The posterior bones of vertebral column, ribs and the sternum of three bar articular surface of the body was in the form of a laterally convex headed geese. but dorsoventrally concave articular area which articulated with the anterior aspect of the body of the succeeding vertebrae. Materials and Methods The dorsal spine of the axis was in the form of a crest while the This study was conducted on the bones from carcasses ventral spine was in the form of a prominent plate which was of three adult bar-headed geese which were brought to the posteriorly prominent and was notched on its posterior margin. division of Veterinary Pathology for postmortem examination The transverse process was in the form of a small caudally from the Gharana wet land conservation reserve situated some directed pointed plate. The roots of the transverse processes 35 kilometres away from Jammu city near the Indo-Pak border. were perforated with a large foramen transversarium. The Bones were collected and processed according to Raghavan medial wall of foramen transversarium showed a small (1964) and were subjected to various gross morphological foramen which joined with the like foramen of the opposite studies. side to form a transverse canal in the body of the vertebrae. Results and Discussion The anterior articular processes were in the form of two plates like anterior projections with an oval laterally facing convex Cervical vertebrae: articular facet while the posterior articular processes were in There were total 17 cervical vertebrae in bar headed goose the form of two oval concave facets on the posterior aspect of which was similar to the findings of Nickel et al. (1977) in the ventrolateral margin of neural arch. The intervertebral goose. All cervical vertebras apart from the atlas consisted of a foramens were formed by the union of the anterior and the vertebral body and a neural arch. The atlas of bar headed posterior pedicilar notches of the adjacent vertebrae. goose was a ring shaped atypical vertebrae showing an The anterior extremities of the remaining cervical vertebrae anterior articular facet for the single occipital condyle thereby were larger than their posterior extremities. The size of the allowing a wider degree of mobility to the atlanto-occipital cervical vertebras beyond the 3rd cervical gradually increased articulation as was reported earlier by Mclelland (1990) in from the cranial to caudal direction but the comparative length chicken. The posterior margin of the ventral arch of atlas of the bodies of these vertebrae gradually decreased in the 1Assistant Professor, Division of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Science, CAU, Aizawl, 2 Professor & Head and 3Associate Professor and corresponding author, email: [email protected], Division of Vety. Anatomy, F.V.Sc. & A.H., SKUAST-J, R.S. Pura, Jammu-181102 (J&K) 189 Veterinary Practitioner Vol. 18 No. 2 December 2017 cranio-caudal direction while its width increased in the cranio- The anterior articular processes were over the transverse caudal direction. The anterior articular surfaces of all these process and showed medially directed flat oval shaped vertebrae were transversely concave and dorsoventral convex articular facets. The posterior articular processes were while the posterior articular surfaces showed the opposite on the posterior margin of the lamina of the neural arch curvature which was as reported by Nickel (1977) in facets were laterally facing. domesticated fowl. The anterior and the posterior margin of Synsacrum: The synsacrum of bar headed goose was the neural arch were notched. The anterior notch was very made up of synsacrothoracic vertebrae, synsacrolumbar prominent and so the anterior 1/4th of the body of the respective vertebrae, primary sacral vertebrae and synsacrocaudal vertebrae was not covered by the neural arch. The posterior vertebrae. The synsacrothoracic vertebra was formed by the notches were not prominent in the anterior series of these fusion of the last three thoracic vertebrae. It showed articular vertebrae but gradually become prominent posteriorly. The facets on either sides of the lateral margin of the transverse anterior and posterior notches of the pedicle of adjacent processes for the tubercle of the ribs and capitular facet on the vertebrae contributed in the formation of the intervertebral lateral aspect of the body for the head of the rib. The dorsal foramen. The dorsal spine was in the form of a prominent thin spines of these vertebrae were fused to form a longitudinal flat plate of bone seen only on the posterior half of the neural arch. piece of bone along its median line. It articulated with the ilium The ventral spine was inconstant and when present was either by its dorsal spines and transverse processes. The dorsal in the form of thin plate of bone or was in the form of a pair of spines of the synsacrolumbar vertebrae were similar to that of tubercle. The transverse processes were thin and were in the the synsacrothoracic vertebrae and fused with the ilium along form of caudally directed rods. The foramen transversarium the median axis of the vertebral column. Transverse process was wide and seen on the lateral aspect of the anterior halve were absent in posterior series of the synsacrolumbar vertebrae of the vertebral body perforating the roots of the transverse which led to the formation of a pair of deep renal fossa between processes. Both the lateral and the medial wall of foramen the medial surface of the ilium and the lateral surface of the transversarium were perforated by foramens. The two medial bodies of the synsacrolumbar vertebrae and the fused dorsal foramens communicated with each other and formed a spines. The renal fossa was for the pair of kidneys and this transverse canal below the vertebral canal. The anterior was according to the findings of Getty (2012) in fowl. The articular processes of the cervical vertebrae were in the form of anterior series of the primary sacral vertebrae had a divided a dorsomedially facing slightly convex ovoid structures on the transverse process showing a dorsal and a ventral division superior-medial aspect of the foramen transversium which separated by a large foramen while the posterior series of gradually became medial in position in the posterior series. these vertebrae and also the synsacrocaudal vertebrae The posterior articular processes were concave and present showed undivided transverse processes. The dorsal division on the ventral aspect of the posterior margin of the neural arch of the transverse processes of the anterior series and the which gradually became lateral on the posterior series. undivided transverse processes of the posterior series of the Thoracic vertebrae: There were 9 thoracic vertebrae primary sacral vertebrae and the transverse processes of the in bar headed goose of which the last three contributed synsacrocaudal vertebrae of each side were united together towards the formation of synsacrum. The remaining by a thin plate of bone which was perforated by a pair of medial thoracic vertebrae were free and did not contribute and lateral for the exit of spinal nerves. The primary sacral towards the formation of notarium which was in vertebrae and the synsacrocaudal vertebrae of bar headed accordance to the findings of Mclelland (1990) in duck goose fused with the ilium through their transverse processes and goose.