130 



SKELETON OF THE OX 



vertebral fibrd-cartilages) of the vertebral regions of a shorthorn cow of 

 medium size: 



Cervical 50 cm. 



Thoracic 80 cm. 



Lmnbar 40 cm. 



Sacral 25 cm. 



Coccygeal 75 cm. 



270 cm. 



Variations. — Sometimes fom'teen thoracic vertebrae and fom:teen pairs of ribs are present; 



reduction to twelve with the normal number 

 Neck Tubercle °^ lumbar vertebrse is very rare. According to 



Franck there are sometimes seven lumbar verte- 

 brae with the normal number in the thoracic 

 . ^ region. The number of coccygeal vertebrae may 



Head —'■ ^^^.^tt^^. . \_ vary from sixteen to twenty-one. 



Costal 

 groove 



THE RIBS 



Thirteen pairs of ribs are present 

 normally, of which eight are sternal and 

 five asternal. They are in general longer, 

 wider, flatter, less curved, and less regular 

 in form than in the horse. The eighth, 

 ninth, and tenth are the longest and 

 widest. The width of most of the ribs 

 increases considerably in the middle, and 



Antcri<jr border- 



Tubercle 



Sternal end 



Fig. 127. — Right Eighth Rib of Ox; Medial View. 



Head 



Neck 



Anterior border 



-Sternal end 

 ■ Cartilage 

 Fig. 128. — First Rib of Ox; Medial View. 



the breadth of the intercostal spaces is correspondingly diminished; this is not the 

 case in the posterior part of the series, where the intercostal spaces are very wide. 



