Osteology of the musk shrew (Suncus murinus)

In the present study using 29 adult musk shrew of both sexes, most findings were identified to be similar to those by Sharma (1958) on the osteology , and there was no remarkable difference between skeletal structure of wild musk shrew in India and that of breeding species in Japan except the number of the vertebra lumbalis and existance of the dens caninus . However, it was elucidated that the os articulare coccygis like H-letter in shape is characteristic for this animal, and shows 17 components as many between interspace ventral to the adjacent os coccygis , and that there exists the proc. spinosus appendicularis nominated newly over the vertebra thoracica II, which plays significant role to head and neck as origin or insertion for strong m. serratus dorsalis, m. splenius, and m. semispinalis .