VN October 2020

Vetnuus |Oktober 2020 10 Article African wild dogs......<<< 09 According to Smith, “This is the first in-depth study of African wild dog forelimb anatomy, and it demonstrates multiple adaptive mechanisms of endurance running, including reconfiguration of forelimb muscles, ligaments, and even bones, which function synchronously to facilitate the highly cursorial lifestyle of this fascinating species”. v Image credits: • Photograph of African wild dog: Charles J Sharp - from Sharp Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index. php?curid=37060050 • Figures 1 and 2: Illustrations drawn by Brent Adrian of Midwestern University (one of the co-authors of the article), CC-BY 4.0 Figure 2. Illustration of the muscles and bones of the African wild dog forearm. The bone labelled “metacarpal 1” is the vestigial first digit. Muscles of the forearm are adapted to provide stability to the wrist and elbow, which assists with endurance running.