Quantitative axial myology in two constricting snakes: Lampropeltis holbrooki and Pantherophis obsoletus

Journal of Anatomy
David A Penning

Abstract

A snake's body represents an extreme degree of elongation with immense muscle complexity. Snakes have approximately 25 different muscles on each side of the body at each vertebra. These muscles serially repeat, overlap, interconnect, and rarely insert parallel to the vertebral column. The angled muscles mean that simple measurements of anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA, perpendicular to the long-axis of the body) serve only as proxies for the primary determinant of muscle force, physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA, area perpendicular to the muscle fibers). Here, I describe and quantify the musculature of two intraguild constrictors: kingsnakes (Lampropeltis holbrooki) and ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus) whose predation performance varies considerably. Kingsnakes can produce significantly higher constriction pressures compared with ratsnakes of similar size. In both snakes, I provide qualitative descriptions, detail previously undescribed complexity, identify a new lateral muscle, and provide some of the first quantitative measures of individual muscle and whole-body PCSA. Furthermore, I compare measurements of ACSA with measurements of PCSA. There was no significant difference in PCSA of muscles between kingsnakes a...Continue Reading

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Mar 17, 2017·The Journal of Experimental Biology·David A Penning, Brad R Moon

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Citations

Aug 7, 2018·Journal of Anatomy·Robert L Cieri
Mar 27, 2020·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Henry C Astley
May 13, 2020·Integrative and Comparative Biology·John G Capano
Oct 19, 2019·Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological and Integrative Physiology·David A PenningBrad R Moon

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