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. 1999 Feb;194(Pt 2):207–214. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.1999.19420207.x

Adaptation in the vertebral column: a comparative study of patterns of metameric variation in seven species of small mammals

M Y KIDA 1 , D R JOHNSON 1 ,, T J McANDREW 1 , P O'HIGGINS 1
PMCID: PMC1467914  PMID: 10337952

Abstract

The pattern of variation of certain vertebral measurements along the vertebral column is known to differ in man and mouse. This paper investigates changes in this pattern in 7 species of small mammals and attempts to correlate them with locomotor adaptations and limb dimensions.

Keywords: Osteology, spine, locomotion

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Selected References

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