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Functional Anatomy of the Forelimb Muscles of the Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)

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Abstract

The myology of most members of the cat family (Felidae) is poorly documented. This study describes the forelimb myology of the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and compares the forelimb anatomy of the ocelot to that of other well-documented felids (Felis catus, Panthera leo). A substantial number of myological features vary among the three species and are distributed in a manner consistent with major ecomorphological variables (prey size preference and locomotor repertoire). The origin of m. triceps brachii caput longum is most extensive in Panthera leo, consistent with the fact that this species pursues prey over greater distances compared to F. catus or L. pardalis. In addition, the origins and insertions of the pronator and supinator musculature are reduced in Felis catus, which has little need to supinate during locomotion or prey capture. Furthermore, muscles serving the digits are best developed in the lion and ocelot, both of which make greater use of the forelimb for grasping and manipulation than does the domestic cat. However, while the lion probably retains the primitive morphology for the family, the ocelot shows evidence of secondary adaptation to increased mobility of the digits. Overall, results indicate that additional studies of felid forelimb myology are warranted, as they are likely to provide valuable functional insights.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Curtis Marean at Arizona State University and the Phoenix Zoo for granting permission to work on the ocelot specimen. In addition, the authors thank Jeff Bradley from the Burke Museum at the University of Washington for the loan of UWBM 35453, Laura Abraczinskas from the Michigan State University Museum for the loan of MSU 4251, and Mark Hafner from the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science for the loans of LSUMZ 12459 and 24325. Special thanks to Sachin Nair for aiding in the dissection of mm. scalenius, splenius capitis, sternocephalicus, and rectus thoracis of the female ocelot and to Terry Ritzman for his assistance with the forelimb dissections of the female ocelot and both lions. This research was supported in part by funds from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Undergraduate Science Education Program and from the ASU School of Life Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Emily Julik, Saaiqa Maredia, Arman Parsa, Meifawn Poole, Adam Starbuck & Rebecca E. Fisher

  2. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona, College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Shawn Zack, Brent Adrian & Rebecca E. Fisher

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  1. Emily Julik
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Correspondence to Rebecca E. Fisher.

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Emily Julik and Shawn Zack contributed equally to this work.

Appendices

Appendix I

Table 3 Forelimb muscle weights for Leopardus pardalis. Only muscle bellies were weighed. The “>” sign is used for damaged muscles whose original weight exceeds the reported weight. Where only one side is presented, the contralateral side was too badly damaged to weigh. All measurements are in grams.
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Appendix II

Table 4 Forelimb muscle weights for Panthera leo. Only muscle bellies were weighed. As the origins of most of the extrinsic muscles were damaged at necropsy, weights are not provided. Where only one side is presented, the contralateral side was too badly damaged to weigh. All measurements are in grams
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Appendix III

Table 5 Comparison of muscle names used in this study with those used in descriptions of Felis catus (Reighard and Jennings 1901), Hyaena hyaena (Spoor and Badoux 1986), and Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Davis 1964). Note that terminology used by Taylor (1974) is taken directly from Reighard and Jennings (1901). Names placed in parentheses indicate heads or parts of larger muscles. Absence of a muscle in a particular column indicates that the muscle is absent or not described as distinct in that taxon.
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Julik, E., Zack, S., Adrian, B. et al. Functional Anatomy of the Forelimb Muscles of the Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). J Mammal Evol 19, 277–304 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-012-9191-4

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