EXTERNAL ANATOMY HORSE

• Anatomy


  Study of the form, arrangement, and structure of the tissues and organs that compose the body
• Physiology


  Study of the functions of the body and its part
• External anatomy


  Refers to the outer or exterior structure of the animal body
• Why is it important to know the external anatomy of farm animals?

  • Assessing the health of an animal
  • Aide in judging animals based on the breed characteristics
  • Determine the purpose of the animal
  • Assess the productivity of the animal
• Directional terms useful in the study of anatomy

  • Anterior (ventral) - the front or the direction towards the front of the body
  • Posterior (dorsal) - the back or the direction towards the back of the body
  • Superior (cranial) - position above or higher than another part of the body proper
  • Inferior (caudal) - a position below or lower than another part of the body proper
  • Lateral - side or direction towards the side of the body
  • Medial - middle or direction towards the middle of the body
  • Proximal - a position in a limb that is nearer to the trunk
  • Distal - a position in a limb that is farther from the trunk
  • Superficial - a position closer to the surface of the body
  • Deep - a position farther from the surface of the body
• Anatomical planes and Directions

  • Cranial - towards the head
  • Caudal – towards the tail
  • Rostral – towards the tip of the nose
  • Proximal – towards the body
  • Distal – away from the body
  • Palmar – "Back" of forelimb from carpus distally
  • Plantar – "Back" of hindlimb from tarsus distally
  • Dorsal – Towards the back
  • Ventral – Towards the belly
  • Lateral – Away from the median plane
  • Medial – Towards the median plane
  • Sagittal Plane – a plane that runs the length of the body and divides it into left and right parts that are not necessarily equal parts
  • Median Plane / Mid-sagittal Plane – A special kind of sagittal plane that runs down the center of the body lengthwise and divides it into equal left and right halves
  • Transverse Plane – A plane across the body that divides it into cranial (head-end) and caudal (tail-end) parts that are not necessarily equal
  • Dorsal Plane – A plane at right angles to the sagittal and transverse planes. It divides the body into dorsal and ventral parts that are not necessarily equal
  • Anterior – in front of or the front surface
  • Posterior – back of a structure or back surface
  • Superior – toward the head end of the body; upper
  • Inferior – away from the head; lower
  • Superficial – Towards the surface
  • Deep – Towards the center
• Cow


  • They live on farms and provide us with milk, which is used to make dairy products like cheese, butter, yogurt and ice cream
• External anatomy of cow

  • Poll - located above and between the ears
  • Fore head - From the poll down to the level of the eyes
  • Face - From the level of the eyes downward to the nostrils
  • Bridge of nose - Area of nasal bone
  • Nostrils - Two natural openings for breathing
  • Back - Behind the withers to the head of the last rib
  • Loin - The part of the body lying on each side of the spinal column between the hip bone and last rib
  • Rump - Region of sacrum, point of rump is the highest point formed by the sacral tuber
  • Hoof - The outer horny covering of the foot, which is divided into two parts called claws
  • Dew claws - Two horny callosities behind the fetlock joint
  • Pastern - The region below fetlock and above coronet
  • Body - Comprises the chest, belly and flank
  • Hock - The complex joint formed between lower thigh and cannon
  • Stifle - The first joint below the hips on the hind leg
  • Dewlap - Beneath the lower jaw or neck
  • Muzzle - Above the upper lip
  • Tail head - Where the tail joins the rump
  • Cannon - The portion between knee joint and fetlock joint
  • Coffin - Bottommost bone in the front and rear legs
  • Elbow - Found where its leg meets with the torso
  • Rear flank - Located just below the loin
  • Fore flank - Located the front portion of the ribs
  • Fetlock - Joint above the pastern
  • Brisket - It comes from the breast/pectoral area
• Difference between male and female cow

  • Male reproductive system: Sheath (prepuce) - flap of skin in the abdominal region
  • Female reproductive system: Naval flap - loose skin below the abdomen, Udder - mammary gland, Teats - where milk is drawn, Milk well - where the milk vein enters into the abdominal wall, Milk vein - a large vein visible under the skin on the belly of the cow. It passes along the abdominal wall
• Pig


  • Pigs are stout-bodied, short-legged, omnivorous mammals, with thick skin usually sparsely coated with short bristles. They are usually kept for meat production.
• External anatomy of pig


  • Neck - The neck is located just behind the ears and in front of the shoulder
  • Ears - The ears are located just above the eyes and in front of the neck
  • Eyes - The eyes are located on the face and below the ears
  • Snout -The snout (also called the nose) of the pig is located by the mouth
  • Jowl - The jowl is located underneath the snout and is sometimes referred to as the pig's chin
  • Elbow Pocket - The elbow pocket is located above the fore arm and behind the shoulder
  • Fore Arm - The fore arm is located above the knee and is the thickest part of the front leg before entering the chest
  • Fore Flank or Fore Rib - The fore flank or fore rib is located the front portion of the ribs. This portion of the chest cavity should be one of the widest parts of the pig's chest
  • Belly / Ribs - The belly and ribs are located just behind the shoulders and elbow pocket
  • Knee - The knee is located just above the dewclaws and just below the elbow pocket
  • Underline - The underline is the collection of teats where a litter of pigs will nurse their mother
  • Dewclaws - The dewclaws are the smaller appendages on the back of the pig's legs, located above the hooves
  • Pasterns - The pasterns are located just below the dewclaws and above the pig's hooves
  • Hock - The hocks are located on the rear legs and are located just below the stifle muscle
  • Rear Flank - The rear flank is located past the ribs and in front of the stifle muscle
  • Stifle Muscle - muscle used to move the pig's rear legs
  • Ham - The ham is the cut of meat located on below the tail and above the hocks
  • Tail - The size and placement of the tail can vary from breed to breed and pig to pig
  • Rump -The rump is a general term used to describe the region of the pig's body that lies behind the hip bones
  • Ham Loin Junction - The ham loin junction is the place where the ham and loin comes together
  • Loin - The loin muscle is located along the pigs back, on each side of its spine
  • Shoulder - The shoulder is located behind the neck and in front of the ribs
  • Chine Bone - This is the bone located between the shoulder blades of the pig
• Difference between male and female pig

  • The vulva is located underneath the tail base and below the anus in a female
  • Absence of a vulva in a male
• Chicken


  • A domesticated bird commonly used for its meat and eggs. They are average-sized fowls, with shorter head, shorter beak and wings, and a rounded body.
• External anatomy of chicken

  • Comb - It is the fleshy attachment on the top part of the chicken's head, and it is usually red. This serves as a cooling system
  • Hackle - Feathers around the neck. Hackle feathers are raised when they feel threatened or want to intimidate a fellow chicken
  • Wattle -Two fleshy coloured, featherless
• Ham


  The region of the pig's body that lies behind the hip bones
• Ham Loin Junction


  The place where the ham and loin comes together
• Loin


  The loin muscle located along the pigs back, on each side of its spine
• Shoulder


  Located behind the neck and in front of the ribs
• Chine Bone


  The bone located between the shoulder blades of the pig
• Vulva


  Located underneath the tail base and below the anus (in female)
• Absence of vulva


  (in male)
• Chicken


  • Domesticated bird commonly used for meat and eggs
  • Average-sized fowls, with shorter head, shorter beak and wings, and a rounded body
• Comb


  Fleshy attachment on the top part of the chicken's head, usually red, serves as a cooling system
• Hackle


  Feathers around the neck, raised when threatened or wanting to intimidate
• Wattle


  Two fleshy coloured, featherless folds of skin hanging below the beak, helps to cool birds down
• Cape


  Narrow feathers between a chicken's neck and back, for display and cooling
• Back


  The area of the thoracic vertebrae
• Saddle


  The part behind the back reaching up to the tail
• Main Tail Feathers


  Feathers located at the posterior or caudal part, pointing upwards, used for balance and flying
• Sickle Feather


  In a rooster's tail, the main long feather
• Shoulder


  Used for movement
• Wing Bow


  The distinctively colored feathers on the shoulder
• Lesser Sickle Feathers


  Long curved feathers of the tail, below the sickles
• Fluff


  The soft feathers around the rear end, keeps the chicken warm
• Hock Joint


  The leg joint of a chicken, bends in the opposite direction
• Shank


  The lower leg of a chicken that is covered by scales
• Spur


  Bony protuberance on the inside of the cock's shank, not developed in female fowl, an effective weapon for protecting a flock from predators
• Claw


  Also known as a talon, projects backward from the ankle, used for scratching
• Toes


  Each foot has four toes, three toes point forward while one points backward for balancing purposes
• Differences between male and female chickens

  • Size
  • Combs and Spurs
  • Vocal Expressions
  • Feathers