Muscle spindle supply to the masticatory muscles in the Japane ermine (Carnivora)

Histological examination of the jaw muscles of the Japanese ermine showed that 4 jaw-closing muscles have 13 muscle spindles on one side of the face. The temporal muscle has 99 muscle spindles, 68 being in the anterior vertical and 31 in the posterior horizontal belly. The masseter muscle has 33 muscle spindles, 23 being in the profound and 10 in the superficial belly. The medial pterygoid muscle has 7 muscle spindles and the zygomaticomandibular muscle contains 4 muscle spindles. The lateral pterygoid and the jaw-opening muscles have no spindles.