The present study revealed that all the obtained parameters showed a significant statistical difference (
p<0.05*) between the males and females of the adult blue bull; however, considering from the practical point of view, these differences were meager.
The humerus (Fig 1 and 2) was a long, less twisted and strong bone as explained by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Talukdar et al., (2002) in mithun,
Choudhary et al., (2013a) in chital and Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. In contrast, it was almost straight in camel (
Smuts and Bezuidenhout, 1987).
The lateral surface of the shaft was a spiral, smooth and presented a well-developed shallow musculospiral groove (sulcus musculo-brachialis) as earlier revealed by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Sarma and Kalita (2008) in Asian elephant and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. In contrast, it was deep was in horse (
Getty, 1975, where. The deltoid tuberosity was large and prominent as described by
Miller et al., (1964) in dog and
Getty (1975) in horse. In contrast, it was small and less prominent in sheep
Getty (1975), ox (
Raghavan, 1964), hedgehogs (
Ozkan, 2004), tiger
(Tomer et al., 2014) and blackbuck (
Choudhary, 2015). The medial surface was almost linear in outline and had a short teres tubercle placed at the proximal third as reported by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Getty (1975) in horse and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. However,
Talukdar et al., (2002) revealed that it was well developed in the humerus of mithun.
Konig and Liebich (2006) reported in carnivores that it was replaced by the crest of the tubercle. The cranial surface was roughly triangular, being wide above and narrow below. The caudal surface was concave smooth in outline as imparted previously by
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck.
The nutrient foramen was located on the distal third of the caudal surface in blue bull as described by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Miller et al., (1964) in dog
Sarma and Kalita (2008) in Asian elephant and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck; however, these findings were not similar to the reports of
Siddiqui et al., (2008) in Black Bengal goat, where it was located at the distal third of the lateral surface,
Getty (1975) in horse who reported it to be present on the lower third of the medial surface;
Smuts and Bezuidenhout (1987) in camel who reported it to be present on the cranial surface.
The head (Fig 3) was rounded as notified in ox (
Raghavan, 1964) and horse (
Getty, 1975); while it was oval as reported in dog
(Miller et al., 1964) and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. The neck was ill-defined as described by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Smuts and Bezuidenhout (1987) in dromedary and
Sarma and Kalita (2008) in an Asian elephant. However, it was well-defined as described in cat and dog (
Konig and Liebich, 2006).
The lateral tuberosity was well developed in blue bull as revealed by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Miller et al., (1964) in dog,
Talukdar et al., (2002) in Mithun,
Ozkan (2004) in hedgehogs and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. The lateral tuberosity curved over the bicipital groove and consisted of a prominent cranial part and a less well defined small caudal part as reported earlier by
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. The medial tuberosity was comparatively much smaller and did not divide noticeably as described by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Smuts and Bezuidenhout (1987) in dromedary and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. The intertubercular or bicipital groove was present between both the tubercles. The bicipital groove was undivided as reported in blackbuck
Choudhary (2015); on the other hand, it was separated by an intermediate ridge in horse (
Getty, 1975) and by intermediate tuberosity in camel (
Smuts and Bezuidenhout, 1987). The area for the insertion of the infraspinous muscle was small as imparted in dromedary (
Smuts and Bezuidenhout, 1987).
The distal extremity (Fig 4) consisted of two condyles, two epicondyles and two fossae. The medial condyle was larger than the lateral one, as described in dromedary
Smuts and Bezuidenhout (1987) and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck, where the medial epicondyle was more massive than the lateral one. The lateral epicondylar crest was prominent as reported by
Smuts and Bezuidenhout (1987) in camel,
Talukdar et al., (2002) in mithun and
Sarma and Kalita (2008) in adult Asian elephant and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck.
The coronoid or radial fossa (fossa radialis) was shallow; the olecranon fossa (fossa olecrani) was deep, wide and bearing a nutrient foramen. In contrast, the olecranon fossa (fossa olecrani) was deep and narrow, as described by
Sarma and Kalita (2008) in an Asian elephant and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. Both these fossae are not communicated to each other as supratrochlear foramen where both fossae are communicated to each other by supratrochlear foramen in some species as elucidated by
Miller et al., (1964), Konig and Liebich (2006),
Akers and Denbow (2008) in dog,
Haziroglu and Ozer (1990) in Turkish cattle,
Ozkan (2004) in hedgehogs and
Choudhary et al., (2013a) in chital and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck.
The humerus bone parameters obtained were significantly (
p<0.01,
p<0.05) higher in the males than females of adult blue bull. The average length of the humerus of blue bull was 30.12±0.04 cm. The average breadth of proximal extremity, shaft and distal extremity was 10.73±0.07 cm, 3.95±0.01 cm and 6.81±0.03 cm, respectively. Whereas, the length of the humerus of Turopolje pigs was 19.49 cm
(Ikic et al., 2007); however, the length and breadth of the humerus of adult Black Bengal goats were 12.06±0.27 cm and 1.66±0.06 cm, respectively
(Siddiqui et al., 2008).
The breadth of the head was 6.88±0.01 cm (Table 1); however, the measurements for chital by
Choudhary et al., (2013a) include the total length of humerus being 19.86±0.04 cm, the breadth at proximal end 5.39±0.02 cm and the breadth at distal end 3.65±0.03 cm. The diameter of the shaft at the level of nutrient foramen was 3.48±0.03, while the measurements for blackbuck by Choudhary (2015) was 13.87±0.019 cm, 4.89±0.01 cm, 1.95±0.005 cm and 2.82±0.005 cm, respectively. The breadth of the head was 6.88±0.04 cm; however, the same parameter was 2.87±0.005 in blackbuck (
Choudhary, 2015).
The radius was fused to the ulna (Fig 5) in the entire length, except for two interosseous spaces (spatium interosseum antibrachii), proximal interosseous spaces (spatium interosseum antibrachii proximale) and distal interosseous spaces (spatium interosseum antibrachii distale) as reported by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Getty (1975) in sheep,
Siddiqui et al., (2008) in Black Bengal goat, France (2009) in Antelope,
Choudhary et al., (2013a) in chital and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. The radius was a long bone, relatively shorter and broader than ulna as described in ox (
Raghavan, 1964) and blackbuck
Choudhary (2015). The shaft was flattened craniocaudally. Its cranial surface was proximally convex and smooth. Distally it possessed three grooves namely, medial, central and lateral, as described by (
Raghavan, 1964) in ox, (
Getty, 1975) in horse and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. The central groove was the widest among the three grooves.
The proximal extremity (Fig 5) was irregularly oval and wider in outline with its long axis being mediolateral in the direction as described by
Miller et al., (1964) in dog;
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck; on the contrary,
Talukdar et al., (2008) reported that it was triangular in outline in elephant. The nutrient foramen was found variably between the proximal interosseous space of its lateral margin and lateral border, as noted by
Raghavan (1964) in ox and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. However, as reported by
(Miller et al., 1964) in dog, the nutrient foramen was located slightly above the middle of the caudal surface of the radius.
The distal extremity (Fig 5) was less thick and then the proximal one and bearing an oblique articular surface as revealed by
Raghavan (1964) in ox, but it was longer and thicker than the proximal as distinguished by
Miller et al., (1964) in dog and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. It consisted of three articular facets for the first three carpal bones of the proximal row. The medial one was the largest in all three, while the middle one was intermediate in size. The lateral one was the smallest as described in horse (
Getty, 1975) and blackbuck (
Choudhary, 2015), whereas the middle one was the largest in dog
(Miller et al., 1964). The length of the radius of blue bull was 33.52±0.07 cm (Table 2), while the length of the radius was 11.12±0.23 cm in Black Bengal goat
(Siddiqui et al., 2008), 18.73±0.04 cm in chital
(Choudhary et al., 2013a), 22.2 cm and in blackbuck was 16.13±0.01 cm (
Choudhary, 2015).
The radius bone parameters obtained were significantly (
p<0.01,
p<0.05) higher in the males than the females of adult blue bull. The breadth of proximal extremity, distal extremity and shaft in blue bull was 6.89±0.01 cm, 5.52±0.01 cm and 4.33±0.02 cm, respectively, (Table 2). while in blackbuck was 2.88±0.003 cm, 2.51±0.004 cm and 1.85±0.007 cm, respectively (
Choudhary, 2015).
The ulna (Fig 5) was an aborted and longest bone of the forelimb as reported by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Choudhary et al., (2013a) in chital and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. It had a shaft and two extremities, as described in dog
(Miller et al., 1964), ox (
Raghavan, 1964), chital
Choudhary et al., (2013a) and blackbuck (
Choudhary, 2015).
The shaft was roughly prismatic as elucidated in ox (
Raghavan, 1964), horse (
Getty, 1975), chital
Choudhary et al., (2013a) and blackbuck (
Choudhary, 2015). It was strongly curved and presented three surfaces. The cranial surface was convex vertically and transversely as described by
Miller et al., (1964) in dog and (
Choudhary, 2015) in blackbuck. It fused with radius except for two points of interosseous spaces. This cranial surface was arched at proximal interosseous space. The nutrient foramen was not recorded in blue bull and similar findings were reported by (
Choudhary, 2015) in blackbuck. In contrast, the nutrient foramen was located on the cranial surface in dog
(Miller et al., 1964) and horse (
Getty, 1975).
The ulnar proximal extremity (Fig 5) comprised of olecranon process (processus anconeus) and semilunar notch (incisura trochlearis). The olecranon process had a well-developed summit and was directed dorso-caudally, the tuber olecrani. It was the most massive process of the ulna as reported by
Raghavan (1964) in ox,
Akers and Denbow (2008) in ruminants
Choudhary et al., (2013a) in chital and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. It had two surfaces and two borders. The medial surface was slightly concave and laterally, it was somewhat convex. The cranial border was thin in outline and distally presented a beak-like projection, the anconeus process as explained in ox (
Raghavan, 1964) and horse (
Getty, 1975) and
Choudhary (2015) in blackbuck. The distal extremity was projected downwards, known as the styloid process and fused with the radius bone for the formation of the lateral facet as reported in ox (
Raghavan, 1964) and chital
(Choudhary et al., 2013a); In contrast, the ulna was fused to the shaft of the radius without forming the styloid process in horse (
Getty, 1975). However, the distal extremity of the radius forms the styloid process as reported in dog
(Miller et al., 1964; Konig and Liebich, 2006), dromedary (
Smuts and Bezuidenhout, 1987), ruminants (
Akers and Denbow, 2008) and blackbuck (
Choudhary, 2015).
The ulna bone parameters obtained were significantly (
p<0.01,
p<0.05) higher in the males than females of adult blue bull. The average length of the ulna of the blue bull was 37.91±0.02 cm (Table 3). However, the greatest length was 14.20±0.20 cm in Black Bengal goat
(Siddiqui et al., 2008), 24.30±0.05 cm in chital
(Choudhary et al., 2013a), 19.92±0.01 cm in blackbuck (
Choudhary 2015). The average height of the olecranon and maximum breadth of olecranon at an anconeal process in blue bull was 8.59±0.01 cm and 5.36±0.01 cm, respectively (Table 3). However, the same parameter was found to be 4.57±0.009 cm and 3.82±0.008 cm, respectively, in blackbuck (
Choudhary, 2015).