Goat carpal bones

The goat carpal bones form the carpus, which is the first sub-segment of the manus. In this guide, I will help you to learn the detail anatomical features of the goat carpal bones with labelled diagrams and images.

Quick answer: The goat carpal bones are six short bones of the forelimb that form the carpus sub-segment of the manus and are arranged in proximal and distal rows.

I will describe all these short bones from both the proximal and distal rows of the carpus. Thus, you will easily identify them from the segment of a forelimb of a goat or other ruminant.

Goat carpal bones

There are six carpal bones arranged in two rows in a goat’s carpus. They are located between the radius and ulna above and the metacarpal bone below.

Here, the proximal row consists of four carpal bones: radial, intermediate, ulnar, and accessory carpals. These proximal row carpals are arranged from the medial to the lateral aspect of the goat’s carpus.

Thus, the radial carpal is on the medial aspect, whereas the accessory carpal is on the lateral aspect.

Again, the bones of the distal row are the second and third fused carpal and the fourth carpal. The first carpal bone in the distal row is absent in goats, sheep, cattle, and buffalo.

Here, Figure 1 shows the names of the goat carpal bones with their arrangement in proximal and distal rows.

How to identify the carpal bones from the goat’s carpus?

It is very important to identify the carpals from the goat’s carpus. You may easily perform it as they are named by their position.

Let’s notice the distal extremity of the previous bone of the forelimb of a goat/cow. It shows 3 articular facets: medial, middle, and lateral. Here, the middle one is larger and oblique.

According to the position of the bone, you may identify the proximal carpals as follows –

• Below the radius on the medial aspect, the radial carpal bone is located.
• Facet below the radius on the middle part: hosts the intermediate carpal,
• Below the ulna on the lateral aspect, the ulnar carpal bone is located, and
• Facet on the caudo-lateral aspect of the ulnar carpal: hosts the accessory carpal bone.

Again, you may also identify the distal row carpals from the goat’s carpus as follows –

• The second and third fused carpal bone is located below the radial and intermediate carpals. Thus, this fused carpal bone is positioned on the medial aspect of the carpus.
• However, the fourth carpal bone is located below the ulnar carpal bone. Thus, this carpal bone is positioned on the lateral aspect of the distal row.

Here, Figure 2 shows the facets from the distal extremity of the radius and ulna bones. It also shows the position of the proximal and distal rows of the carpal bones from the goat’s carpus.

What is the NAV-based terminology used for carpals in goats?

According to NAV (Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria), the followings terms are used to express the carpals in goats –

• Radial carpal (Scaphoid bone),
• Intermediate carpal (Semilunar bone),
• Ulnar carpal (Cuneiform bone),
• Accessory carpal (Pisiform bone),
• Second and third fused carpal (Os magnus bone), and
• Fourth carpal (Unciform bone),

But there is no need to memorise these NAV-based names for the goat’s carpals. You may use the positional and numerical names for the carpals that I have described earlier.

Goat carpal bones in the proximal row

Now, I will describe the osteological features of the goat carpal bones from the proximal row of the carpus.

Radial carpal of the goat

It is the first carpal bone of the proximal row from the medial aspect. It is irregular in shape and possesses six surfaces: dorsal, ventral, lateral, medial, anterior, and posterior.

• Dorsal surface: It is convexo-concave in the anterior-posterior direction. It articulates with the medial oblique articular facet of the distal extremity of the goat’s radius bone. The irregular outline of this surface resembles the map of Africa.
• Ventral surface: it has the anterior convexity and posterior concavity. This surface articulates with the second and third fused carpal bones of the second row carpal.
• Medial surface: it possesses four facets and articulates with the facets of the medial surface of the intermediate carpal bone.
• Other surfaces: the medial, anterior, and posterior surfaces of the radial carpal of the goat are continuous. They possess the rough surfaces for the attachment of the muscles and ligaments.

Here, Figure 3 shows the surfaces of the radial carpal and their attachment to the intermediate carpal from the goat carpus.

Intermediate carpal of the goat

The intermediate carpal of the goat is located between the radial and ulnar carpals in the proximal row. It is wedge shape and also possesses six surfaces – anterior, posterior, dorsal, ventral, lateral and medial.

• Anterior surface: it is a non-articular surface, and wide. It is also rough and forms the base of this bone.
• Posterior surface: The posterior surface of the goat’s intermediate carpal is narrow. This surface forms the apex of this bone.
• Dorsal surface: this surface of the intermediate carpal is convex-concave in the anterior-posterior direction. It articulates with the medial oblique facet of the distal extremity of the radius bone.
• Ventral surface: the ventral surface of the intermediate carpal is divided by a sagittal ridge into two facets: medial and lateral. Here, the medial facet articulates with the facet of the second and third fused carpal of the distal row. Again, the lateral facet articulates with the fourth carpal bone of the goat’s carpus.
• Lateral surface: it articulates with the facet of the medial surface of the ulnar carpal bone.
• Medial surface: this surface of the intermediate carpal possesses four facets for articulation with the facets of the lateral surface of the radial carpal.

Here, Figure 4 shows the shape, surfaces, and attachment of the intermediate carpal bones from the goat’s carpus.

Ulnar carpal bone of the goat

The ulnar carpal of a goat is very irregular in form and compressed laterally. It is located posterior-lateral to the intermediate carpal bone.

This ulnar carpal is the outermost bone of the first row of the goat’s carpus in an oblique manner. The goat’s ulnar carpal also possesses six surfaces: dorsal, ventral, lateral, medial, anterior, and posterior.

• Dorsal surface: this surface is oblique and is directed caudally and laterally. It articulates with the facets made with the distal extremity of the styloid process of the ulna bone.
• Ventral surface: it is small and obliquely concave. This surface articulates with the lateral facet on the dorsal surface of the fourth carpal bone.
• Medial surface: it possesses two facets on its anterior part, which articulate with the intermediate carpal bone.
• Lateral surface: this surface is rough and continuous.
• Anterior surface: This surface of the ulnar carpal is also rough and continuous.
• Posterior surface: The posterior surface of the ulnar carpal is oblique. It possesses an oval facet for articulation with the accessory carpal bone of the goats.

Here, Figure 5 shows the surfaces and attachment of the goat’s ulnar carpal bone.

There are different types of bones in animals skeleton, a short bone is one of them. In the most short bone, like the radial, intermediate, and ulnar carpals, you will find six different surfaces.

Accessory carpal bone of the goat

This is a short, thick, and rounded bone in the goat’s carpus. Some authors also classify this accessory carpal bone as the sesamoid bone.

The accessory carpal bone of the goat is located behind and lateral to the ulnar carpal. You may identify the following surfaces from the goat’s accessory carpal bone –

• Dorsal surface: This surface of the accessory carpal is narrow and rough. The tendons of the goat’s flexor carpi ulnaris and ulnaris lateralis muscles pass over this surface.
• Ventral surface: This surface is broad and rough.
• Anterior surface: You will find a facet on the anterior surface of the accessory carpal for articulation with the ulnar carpal.
• Medial surface: this surface is vertically grooved close to the cranial facet.

Here, Figure 6 shows the location and other anatomical features of the accessory carpal bone from the goat’s carpus.

Goat carpal bones in the distal row

The goat carpal bones in the distal row of the carpus are the second and third fused, and the fourth carpals. Let’s see the osteological features of these second and third fused (medially) and fourth (laterally) carpal bones.

Second and third fused carpal of the goat

The second and third carpals fused to form the single, thick short bone in the distal row of the goat’s carpus. It is the larger of two bones in the distal row and is located at the medial aspect of the carpus.

This fused carpal of the goat also possesses six surfaces –

• Dorsal surface: it is wide and divided into two unequal facets – medial and lateral. Here, the medial facet is larger and articulates with the radial carpal bone. Again, the lateral facet is smaller and articulates with the medial facet on the ventral surface of the intermediate carpal bone.
• Ventral surface: this ventral surface is flat and articulates with the proximal extremity of the large metacarpal bone on its larger facets.
• Lateral surface: You will find three facets on the lateral surface of the second and third fused carpal of a goat. It is irregular and articulates with the fourth carpal of the distal row.
• Anterior and medial surfaces: they are non-articular, smooth, and continuous.
• Posterior surface: this surface is narrow and continues with the dorsal surface.

Here, Figure 7 shows the location and osteological features of the second and third fused carpal bones from the goat carpus.

Fourth carpal bone of the goat

The fourth carpal is the smaller of the two bones of the distal row of the goat’s carpus. It is located at the lateral aspect of the distal row.

This bone is quadrilateral and thicker anterior aspect than its posterior aspect. The goat’s fourth carpal bone presents the following surfaces –

• Dorsal surface: it possesses two oblique facets (lateral and medial), which are divided by an anterior-posterior ridge. Here, the medial facet articulates with the lateral facet on the ventral surface of the intermediate carpal. Again, the lateral facet articulates with the ulnar carpal.
• Ventral surface: the ventral surface of the fourth carpal articulates with the proximal end of the large and small metacarpal bones.
• Medial surface: You will see two facets on the medial surface of the fourth carpal bone. It articulates with the second and third fused carpal bones of the goat’s carpus.
• Lateral and anterior surfaces: these surfaces of the fourth carpal bone are rough, convex, and continuous with each other.
• Posterior surface: This surface of the goat’s fourth carpal is rough and tuberous.

Here, Figure 8 shows the location and attachment of the goat’s fourth carpal bone in its carpus region.

Carpal bones in the horse and the dog

Compared to the goat carpal bones, the carpals of the horse and dog show little variation in their number and appearance. In a horse, you will find seven carpal bones in its carpus, four in the proximal row, and three in the distal row.

• Bones of the proximal row of a horse carpus: radial, intermediate, ulnar, and accessory carpals,
• Bones of the distal row of a horse carpus: second, third, and fourth carpals.

Again, you will find seven carpal bones in the dog carpus, three in the proximal row, and four in the distal row.  

• Proximal row of the dog’s carpus: contains fused radial and intermediate, ulnar, and accessory carpals.
• Distal row of the dog’s carpus: contains the first, second, third, and fourth carpal bones.

Here, Figure 9 shows the location and arrangement of the carpal bones from the horse and dog carpus.

Conclusion

So, the goat carpal bones are six short bones that form the carpus sub-segment of the forelimb. These six carpal bones of the goat are arranged in two rows – proximal and distal.

Here, the radial, intermediate, and ulnar are arranged from the medial to the lateral aspect of the proximal row of a goat’s carpus. Again, the fused second, third, and fourth carpals are arranged in a distal row of carpus from the medial to the lateral aspect.

References

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