A Textbook of Comparative Osteology of Vertebrates

Osteology is the branch of science deals with the study of skeleton. The skeleton of vertebrates is composed of hardened (mineralized) connective tissue. This hardened tissue is called bone and other mineralized tissues are dentin, enamel and cartilage (precursor of bone). Osteoblasts produce bone, chondroblasts produce cartilage, odontoblasts produce dentine and ameloblasts produce enamel. These four differentiated cell types arise from undifferentiated connective tissue called scleroblasts. Scleroblasts in turn arise from highly undifferentiated cells called mesenchymal (mesoderm) cells. Skeleton may be subdivided into axial and appendicular parts. The skull, vertebral column, sternum and ribs constitute axial skeleton of vertebrates. The appendicular skeleton includes the pectoral and pelvic girdles and the skeleton of fins and limbs.In this book you will learn about the osteology of four typical animals, namely Frog (Class: Amphibia), Varanus (Class: Reptilia), Fowl (Class: Aves) and Rabbit (Class: Mammalia).