FLIGHT ADAPTATIONS Adaptation is a feature of an organism that enables it to live in a particular habitat. Adaptation involves both structural as well as functional changes. Birds lead an aerial mode of life. To lead a successful aerial mode of life, birds have undergone various modifications. These modifications are known as ‘flight adaptations. Flight adaptations involve morphological, anatomical as well as embryological modifications. Birds show following flight adaptations – Shape and structure of the …show more content…
Neck and beak – *The neck is long and felixble as a result bird is able to rotate its head for reaching food and can see all around. *The jaws are teethless and are produced into beak which are variously modified to pick up food, making nests and preening etc. Skin – *The skin of bird is loose which allows movement of the flight muscles. Limbs –*Forelimbs are modified into wings and are attached closer to center of gravity and farther from head than in other animals. *The wings act as propelling organs for flight. *Hand bones are small, fused, flattened and specialized to manipulate the flight …show more content…
*The bones of a bird's pelvic girdle and the lumbar, sacral, and a few caudal vertebrae are fused into a single, solid structure called the synsacrum (Fig. 21.4). Fig. 21.4 Synscacrum of bird with the last pre-thoracic vertebra *The terminal caudal vertebrae fused to form a short pygostyle (Fig. 21.5) which supports the bird's tail feathers. *The uncinate processes of the thoracic vertebrae help to strengthen the rib cage by overlapping with the rib behind them. *The backward elongation of sternum provides support to abdominal
This portion of the skeletal provides the main structural support for the body while also protecting the central nervous system and vital organs in the thorax (heart, lungs, etc.). Of primary importance is the adult vertebral column, consisting of 33 vertebrae divided into five groups and named according to the region of the body in which they are located. The upper seven are cervical vertebrae, followed in descending order by 12 thoracic vertebrae, five lumbar vertebrae, five sacral vertebrae fused into one bone as the sacrum, and four coccygeal vertebrae fused together into one bone called the coccyx. The sacral vertebrae and coccygeal vertebrae become fused in the adult, so there are only 24 movable vertebrae (Fig given
The coccyx is a triangular-shaped bone located in the axial skeleton at the end of the spine and is inferior to the sacrum. This bone is really a set of small of bones (usually four, but could be three or five) that fuse during development. Since it is shaped like a tail, it is generally referred to as the tailbone. I found it fascinating that genetic research found that the same genes that produce the tails of mice also are responsible for the development of the coccyx. If ever there is a point to be made for evolution, the coccyx is it. I bet we were some awesome-looking creatures in ancient times – moving around, twitching our little tails!
They also differ in the types of bones that make up their individual skeletons. Axial skeleton consists of bones from the skull, vertebral column, ribs and sternum and the appendicular skeleton consists of bones from the limbs, pelvis girdle, and pectoral girdle. The skeletal system is crucial for the human body to continue functioning and maintaining homeostasis.
The skeletal system frames our entire bodies and protects our fragile inner organs. We have two major types of bone in our body: compact bone and spongy bone. Compact bone is dense and looks smooth, while spongy bone is comprised of small needle-like pieces of bone with lots of open spaces. Our body contains 206 bones. The skeleton is separated into axial and appendicular sections. The axial skeleton includes the bones in the longitudinal axis of our body. The appendicular skeleton consists of the limbs and girdles of the body, such as our arms and shoulders. There are four different classifications of bone, determined by their shape. Long bones are shafts with ‘heads’ on both sides. Our limbs contain mostly long bones. Short bones
The collarbone is a big doubly curved long bone that joins the arm to the trunk of the body.Based directly above the first rib it keeps the scapula in place so that the arm can hang freely.
All of the vertebrae put together is referred to as the spinal column or in lamens terms the back bone. The back bone ...
The skeleton is divided into two major parts: the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton forms the central axis of the body and includes skull, spine, ribs, and sternum. The appendicular skeleton includes the appendages, which are the shoulders, arms, hips, and legs.
The skeletal system has several functions as well as some serious diseases and disorders. The skeletal system serves the purpose of supporting the body as well as protection for vital organs. The skeletal system is composed of 206 bones both male and female have the same amount depending on age. There are some interesting facts about human bones, for an example humans and giraffes have the same number of bones in their neck. The Femur is stronger than concrete and its hollow! The skeleton has several functions like supporting the body, protection for vital organs, and the production of blood cells. For support the skeletal system uses a series of bones like the femur, fibula, tibia, and the vertebral column (figure 1). The skeleton has a few joint throughout the body, such as the hinge joint found at the patella and the elbow joint. Both of these joints are referred to as Ginglymus or hinge joint. The other joint is the ball-and-socket which is located at the shoulder and neck. The skeletal system has two means of protection. The ribs are curved bones in the mid to upper cavity of th...
In chapter 15 from Thomas C. Fosters’ How to Read Literature Like A Professor, flight is discussed to represent multiple forms of freedom and escape, or possible failure and downfall. Throughout J. D. Salingers’ novel, The Catcher and the Rye, Holden often finds himself wondering where the ducks in the Central Park pond have flown off to due to the water freezing over. On the other hand, the ducks are symbolic of Holden are his interest in the ducks an example of Foster’s ideas that flight represents a desire to be free.
Mink Intro – External Anatomy Overview. (n.d.). mreroh.com . Retrieved May 27, 2014, from http://www.mreroh.com/student/apdocs/Dissection/Intro%20-%20External%20Anatomy.pdf
Marzluff, J., Angell, T. & Elliot, B. (2013, May. - Jun.). Birds: Brains over brawn. Audubon, 115(3), 40-41.
The large ground finches have a higher curve while the medium ground finches have a smaller head and a tiny beak. The place in which the finches live is what changes their appearances and also the weather helps decide the appearance of these finches.
Flat bones – these include Scapula, sternum, cranium, os coxae, pelvis and ribs . Their main function is to provide protection to the body’s vital organs as well as being a base for muscular attachment.
A flightless bird that has flippers that are used to help the bird swim and can be found in regions that have extremely cold climate. These are characteristics that describe a penguin. For millions of years, penguins have been known as one of the many flightless birds on Earth. However, scientist believe that penguins were once birds that flew high in the sky. It is known that about 55 million years ago, penguins were already completely adapted to the life in water, in a warmer environment than today.
The skeletal system is an anatomical body system which consists of all the bones and joints in our bodies. In total, an adult body entails 206 distinct bones, arranged in the axial skeleton (80) and the appendicular skeleton (126). The latter division has bones in the limbs, pelvic girdle and the shoulder girdle, whilst the rest of the bones belong to the axial division. It’s a very important system therefore it has a few main functions. The most obvious is that it gives the body its rigid shape, which makes it relevant to other body functions like breathing, which is helped by the rib cage expanding to accommodate the movement of the lungs. Other functions include support to ensure that organs