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The Himalayan griffon’s pelvis, fused spine and tail

Research · Anatomy & morphology

Researchers examined selected parts of the skeletons of three Himalayan griffon vultures (Gyps himalayensis) that had died. The conservation breeding centre in Rani, Assam, transferred the birds to a veterinary anatomy department in Guwahati for examination. Researchers described the bones and measured the pelvic girdle, spine, tail end, breastbone and ribs.

A fused section of the spine joins the pelvis

The pelvic girdle consists of two hip bones, each made up of an ilium, ischium and pubis. The ilium and ischium form the acetabulum, the socket where the thigh bone, or femur, articulates with the pelvis. The synsacrum—a fused section of the spine formed from the last thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, sacrum and first tail vertebrae—is firmly joined to the ilia. In adult skeletons, the fusion makes the individual vertebrae difficult to distinguish.

The tail tip, or pygostyle, is formed by the fusion of the last eight tail vertebrae; its final segment is hook-shaped. In the three specimens, the synsacrum averaged 21.5 cm in length and the pygostyle 8.6 cm.

A pneumatic breastbone and projecting ribs

The breastbone, or sternum, was broad and roughly rectangular, with a concave upper surface and a convex underside. The researchers described it as pneumatic: it has air spaces, with openings on the concave surface. Together with fusion of vertebrae into a supportive synsacrum, such skeletal features are part of the structural adaptations associated with flight in birds; this anatomical study did not measure flight performance. The sternum averaged 17.9 cm long and 8.8 cm wide. The ribs had well-developed uncinate processes—bony projections along their rear edges—and averaged 9.1 cm in length.

The authors present the descriptions as an anatomical reference that may be useful to wildlife veterinarians and biology students, including in work related to disease control and conservation. Because the study examined only three birds and selected parts of their skeletons, the measurements describe those specimens; they do not show how much skeletal anatomy varies across the species.

Sources and image credit

  1. Macro Anatomy and Biometry of Pelvic Girdle, Synsacrum, Pygostyle, Sternum and Ribs of Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)Publisher article page; gives the publication date and summarizes the study and its findings.
  2. Full text PDF: Macro Anatomy and Biometry of Pelvic Girdle, Synsacrum, Pygostyle, Sternum and Ribs of Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)Full text used to verify the specimens, methods, anatomical descriptions, author interpretation and stated limitations.

Image: Mildeep / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative photograph. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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Anatomy & morphology

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