Cow skeleton: anatomy and structure diagram, names of bones and systems, internal organs

Each farmer should know the structure of the internal organs and features of the cow's skeleton in order to help the animal on their own if necessary. Knowledge of the anatomy of cattle allows you to assess the usefulness of the development of calves, identify fractures and internal injuries in animals, and keep the he alth of the herd under control. Anatomical knowledge is especially necessary for owners of medium-sized farms who do not have a veterinarian under their supervision.

The structure of the head

A cow has a large head, consisting of a skull, eyes, ears, dentition, nose.

Skull

The cow's skull is divided into 2 sections: the first protects the brain, the second forms the muzzle with eye holes, nasal passages, jaws. In a calf, the sections are equal in volume, as the bull grows older, the facial section increases, the brain does not change.

The cranial skeleton of a cow is formed by 13 paired (symmetrically located on both sides) and 7 unpaired bones. Paired make up the crown, forehead and temples, unpaired - the back of the head, wedge-shaped and interparietal parts. Cow cranial bones list:

paired cerebral region - frontal, parietal, temporal;
pair facial - lacrimal, palatine, zygomatic, maxillary, mandibular, intermaxillary, nasal, pterygoid, superior turbinate, inferior concha;
unpaired medulla - wedge-shaped, occipital, interparietal;
unpaired facial - hyoid, ethmoid, vomer.

Eyes

The organs of vision of a cow are located symmetrically in the front of the skull.Cattle have monocular vision. The eyeball is located in the orbit, it is round, slightly convex on the outside, covered with three shells. Inside, the organ is divided into the vitreous body, anterior and posterior lobes. Eyelashes - protection against mechanical influences. The lacrimal glands secrete a fluid that keeps the eyes moist. The iris of cattle, in most cases, is brown.

Teeth

Calves have 20 milk teeth. Adults have 32 teeth. The jaws of a cow are adapted for chewing plant foods. The incisors are long, directed forward, with sharp edges, grow from the lower jaw, designed to cut grass. Chewing is carried out by a circular motion of the lower jaw.

Hearing aid

Cattle have good hearing. The organ of hearing of a cow consists of the outer, middle, and inner ear. The auricle is mobile, composed of muscle and cartilage tissues. Inside, the ears are made up of the ossicles and the eardrum.

How the skeleton works

Cattle have a strong, heavy skeleton. In bulls, the skeleton is more massive than in females, due to greater muscle mass.

The skeleton of a cow consists of 2 parts:

axial - cranium, spinal column, chest;
peripheral - fore and hind limbs.

Spine

A cow has 50 vertebrae, the axial part of the skeleton includes:

7 cervical vertebrae;
13 infants;
6 lumbar;
5 sacral;
19 tail.

The cervical vertebrae are the most mobile, linking the skull and sternum. Withers - 7th cervical vertebra. The thoracic skeleton is the least mobile, it is the basis for attaching the ribs. Ribs - 13 pairs of flat bones that form the chest, protecting the heart and lungs from injury.In a cow, 5 pairs of ribs are connected by cartilage, 8 pairs are free.

The description of the thoracic skeleton should be de alt with in more detail, since the anatomy of the costal plates is not the same. The front ribs are powerful and strong. The middle ones are widened towards the edge. The hindquarters are short and arched. The last rib pair is attached only to the spine, does not reach the sternum.

Limbs

The skeleton of the forelimbs of cattle consists of scapular, humerus, forearms, hands. The hand is formed from metacarpal, carpal, phalangeal bones. The phalanges of the fingers form the hooves. The skeleton of the forearm is formed by the ulna and radius bones. The radius bones of the cow are better developed than the ulna.

Cows are artiodactyl animals. The hooves are cloven, with two rudimentary little toes visible above them.

The skeleton of the back of the body - the pelvic bones, femurs, lower legs, feet. The femur is the largest bone in the bovine skeleton.

Structure of internal organs and systems

A cow lives fully thanks to properly functioning internal organs and systems.

Muscles

When a calf is born, up to 80% of its body weight falls on the musculoskeletal system, including the skeleton and muscle tissues. In an adult cow, the skeleton and muscles make up about 60% of the weight.

The muscles of bulls include 250 muscles. The full functioning of the body is ensured by the fact that the outer muscular covering of the skeleton and the inner smooth muscles form a functional complex.

In the context of the musculature of a cow, it consists of several main muscle groups:

facial - regulate facial expressions, movements of the eyes, nostrils, lips;
chewing - move the jaw;
shoulder - move the shoulder skeleton;
sternum - support the organs of the chest cavity, push and move the chest during breathing;
vertebrates - move the head, neck, spine, lumbar, pelvic, tail sections of the skeleton;
abdominal - support the abdominal organs, provide defecation, urination, the digestive tract, uterine contractions.

Nerves

From the senses, signals through the nerve fibers enter the brain, where they are processed. Brain impulses are sent to the senses, carry information about how to respond to stimuli.

The nervous system of a cow is divided into several departments with functional features:

The brain is the basis of the central nervous system that controls all life processes. In a cow, the brain weighs 550 g, is divided into equal hemispheres, covered with a shell - bark.
The spinal cord is a continuation of the central nervous system, located in the canal of the vertebral skeleton. Reaches 1.8 m, controls unconditioned reflexes.
Peripheral nerves - connectors of the brain with muscles, vessels, abdominal and secretory organs.
Autonomic nerves - nodes that control external secretion, the work of the organs of vision and respiration, pelvic and abdominal organs, smooth muscles.

Respiratory Organs

The lungs of cattle are large, because the body of large animals requires a significant supply of oxygen. The lungs of cows weigh 3500 g, the bull - 4800 g. The right lung of a cow is larger than the left. A large heart is located on the left side of the chest, which reduces the volume of the lung, and in some individuals almost divides it into two parts.

Heart and blood vessels

A cow has a four-chambered heart: 2 atria above, 2 ventricles below. Blood carries hormones and immune agents through the vessels, and supplies nutrients, oxygen, and liquid to tissues and organs. Cow heart diagram:

When the heart muscle relaxes, the atria and ventricles fill with blood.
The atria contract - the phase is called systole. Blood flows into the ventricles.
The atria relax. The valves separating them from the ventricles slam shut.
The ventricles contract. During systole, blood is ejected from the left ventricle into the aorta, from the right into the pulmonary artery.
Next comes diastole - relaxation of the organ, filling it with blood.

Digestive organs

The digestive system of a cow consists of several organs:

Oral cavity. It chews food with the release of saliva.
The esophagus is a tube through which chewed food moves into the stomach.
The stomach is the organ of digestion and breakdown of food particles.
Pancreas. It is located on the side of the stomach in the right hypochondrium. Produces digestive juices.
Small intestine. Consists of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum. It sucks out nutrients from digested food.
The large intestine. Consists of the blind, colon, rectum. In it, the fermentation of the food mass takes place, the formation of feces, removing it out through the anus.

The length of the intestines of a cow is 63 m, which is 20 times the length of the body. The food that enters the digestive tract is digested for 2-3 days. A he althy cow excretes 20-40 kg of feces per day.

Stomach structure

Rough vegetable food is digested in the stomach of a cow, which has 4 sections:

scar;
grid;
book;
abomasum.

Cow tripe holds 200 liters. Here, beneficial microflora breaks down fiber. The animal regurgitates the coarsest parts of the food so that they re-enter the rumen and are thoroughly digested. Grid of honeycomb structure with a volume of 10 l. Here the food mass is 2 days, processed by microorganisms. Further, the food enters the book, consisting of many thin plates. Here, liquid is absorbed within 5 hours. In the rennet, which holds 10-15 liters, digestion is completed, the food mass is exposed to digestive juice.

Urinary Organs

The excretory system of a cow consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethral canal.

Kidneys are a filtering organ. Purifying the blood of waste products, they produce 20 liters of urine per day. Urine travels through the ureters to the bladder, where it accumulates to exit through the urethra.

Reproductive system

The sexual organs of bulls are designed for the synthesis of spermatozoa and the fertilization of eggs:

penis - the organ of urination and excretion of sperm;
prepuce - the sheath of the outer edge of the penis;
urethral canal;
semen tube - a channel for the release of sperm;
the spermatic cord is an abdominal fold containing the vas deferens;
testicles - organs for the synthesis and accumulation of spermatozoa;
scrotum - skin pouch that contains the testicles.

The reproductive system of the female is designed to carry and give birth to offspring:

vagina;
clitoris - booster of uterine contractions;
labia;
womb - a muscular organ containing a developing embryo;
fallopian tubes, through which the egg moves from the ovaries;
ovaries - egg storage organs.

Udder structure

The udder of the cow is divided into 4 parts. Each mammary gland ends with a nipple. That is, a cow has 4 nipples.

Circulatory system

The mammary glands are abundantly entangled in blood capillaries that carry oxygen and nutrients.

Supplying the body with lymph

Apart from the blood capillaries, lymphatic vessels pass through the udder. They supply tissues with fluid, remove decay products.

There are lymph nodes on both sides of the udder. Their swelling signals the onset of mastitis.

Nerve endings

Nerve endings are suitable for mammary glands in abundance. They transmit signals to the brain about the need for the synthesis and release of milk. The response signals of the brain make the cow anxious, mooing to tell the owner that the hour of milking has come.

Purpose of milk follicles

The task of the follicles in the mammary glands is to excrete milk. The liquid accumulated in the milk tanks flows out through the teat canals. The volume of follicles changes at different stages of a cow's life - during estrus, pregnancy, lactation.

Nipples

The length of a cow's nipple is 8-10 cm, the diameter is 3 cm. The nipple is not only a channel for milk flow, but also protection of the mammary glands from external infection. It is divided into apical, main, cylindrical parts and body.

Tail

The vertebral skeleton ends with movable tail vertebrae. The tail of a cow is long, biting, with a brush at the end, designed to brush off blood-sucking insects from the body. Cows are strong, hardy animals with a strong skeleton and well-developed muscles. The he alth of livestock depends on the proper functioning of organs and systems, which must be maintained by competent care, maintenance and feeding.