Tendons and ligaments of the Rangifer tarandus metapodial and hoof

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Hull, Emily, Semeniuk, Mitchell, Puolakka, Hanna-Leena, Kynkäänniemi, Sanna-Mari, Niinimäki, Sirpa
• Other Authors: University of Alberta Northern Research Award, European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, The University of Oulu & The Academy of Finland Profi4, University of Oulu including Oulu University Hospital
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2021
• Subjects: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences; Pillar; caribou; Polar Biology; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02919-z; https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00300-021-02919-z.pdf; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-021-02919-z/fulltext.html

Abstract Rangifer tarandus , the northern species including both reindeer and caribou, is a pillar of northern ecosystems and the lives of northern peoples. As the only domestic cervid, reindeer are important not only to the herders and hunters who presently interact with them, but also to zooarchaeologists and palaeontologists tracing their histories. Unfortunately, limited anatomical information on Rangifer tarandus muscles is available beyond descriptions of the large muscle groups. The lower limb and hoof in particular is poorly documented. This is problematic, as this important body part has the potential to be informative in zooarchaeological analyses of habitual activity, especially in regards to historical animal health, movement, and habitual activity. Better understanding of the hoof can additionally be useful to herders and veterinarians seeking to provide veterinary care for living animals. This study has used dissections and comparisons of the reindeer hoof with other domestic ungulates to document both the common and unique structures in Rangifer tarandus hooves, including the presence and attachment points of these structures. As these structures have proved unique, especially in regards to the dewclaw, it is important that other ungulates not be used exclusively in the analysis of Rangifer tarandus remains.