Comparative morphological peculiarities of the hindlimb to some rodents (rabbit, nutria, guinea pig and squirrel)

Abstract

Although all the species proposed to study are rodents, that four mammal live in different environments (terrestrial, semi-aquatic or semiarboricol) and develop survival strategy involves in locomotor adaptation to the needs imposed by the environment. Thus, the rabbit develops a terrestrial moving by leaps and bounce, the length of the hind limb is double compared to the frontlimbs, muscles propellant are highly developed, through action on ischial insertion lead to appear a three massive ischial tubers in other rodent species instead marked by a ridge or a rounded small tuber. On the other hand, a strong flexors of the hip (mainly muscles as superficial, middle and accessory gluteus) lead to lengthening the iliac blade to nutria, squirrel and guinea pigs and the emergence of deep gluteal pits separated by a high ridge. At nutria and squirrel, the femur is seconded by a long neck and has ¾ articular surface of a sphere and to rabbit and squirrel, very short in guinea pig , is observed the presence of the third trochanter.