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Dog · Bone · Thoracic limb

Humerus

A head for the shoulder, greater and lesser tubercles either side of the intertubercular groove, a deltoid tuberosity on the shaft, and a condyle with epicondyles for the elbow.

System
Bone
Region
Thoracic limb
Sides
Paired: left and right
Named parts
19

Where it runs from and to

A muscle is told apart from its neighbours by what it takes hold of at each end, which is also what decides what it does when it shortens.

Action
A head for the shoulder, greater and lesser tubercles either side of the intertubercular groove, a deltoid tuberosity on the shaft, and a condyle with epicondyles for the elbow.

Written for Vetomica in its own words from the standard reference anatomy of the dog; the books it was checked against are listed below.

Named parts

What to look for on the bone, and what each part is called in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria.

Proximal end

Head of the humerusCaput humeri
The rounded surface that sits in the shallow glenoid cavity of the scapula.Miller 2020, p. 306
Greater tubercleTuberculum majus
The large lateral prominence in front of the head; the supraspinatus pulls on it.Miller 2020, p. 306
Lesser tubercleTuberculum minus
The smaller medial prominence, for the subscapularis.Miller 2020, p. 306
Intertubercular grooveSulcus intertubercularis
The channel between the two tubercles that the biceps tendon runs down.Miller 2020, p. 306
Neck of the humerusCollum humeri
The narrowing below the head, where the proximal end passes into the shaft.Miller 2020, p. 307

Body

Body of the humerusCorpus humeri
The shaft, twisted so that its proximal and distal ends face different ways.Miller 2020, p. 307
Deltoid tuberosity
The raised patch on the lateral shaft where the deltoideus inserts.Miller 2020, p. 307
Crest of the greater tubercleCrista tuberculi majoris
The ridge running down from the greater tubercle to that tuberosity.Miller 2020, p. 307
Crest of the lesser tubercleCrista tuberculi minoris
The matching ridge on the medial surface, for the teres major and latissimus dorsi.Miller 2020, p. 307
Teres major tuberosityTuberositas teres major
The roughening on the medial shaft that marks the end of that crest.Miller 2020, p. 307
Lateral supracondylar crestCrista supracondylaris lateralis
The sharp edge above the elbow that the extensors of the carpus arise from.Miller 2020, p. 308

Distal end

Humeral condyleCondylus humeri
The whole distal articular mass that the radius and ulna grip.Miller 2020, p. 308
Trochlea of the humerusTrochlea humeri
The medial, grooved part of the condyle, which the trochlear notch of the ulna rides in.Miller 2020, p. 308
Capitulum of the humerusCapitulum humeri
The lateral, rounded part of the condyle, which carries the head of the radius.Miller 2020, p. 308
Olecranon fossaFossa olecrani
The deep hollow behind the condyle that the anconeal process drops into when the elbow extends.Miller 2020, p. 308
Radial fossaFossa radialis
The shallower hollow on the cranial side, opposite the olecranon fossa.Miller 2020, p. 308
Supratrochlear foramenForamen supratrochleare
The window through the condyle where the two fossae meet — a dog has it; a cat does not.Miller 2020, p. 308
Lateral epicondyleEpicondylus lateralis
The lateral knob above the condyle, from which the extensors of carpus and digits arise.Miller 2020, p. 309
Medial epicondyleEpicondylus medialis
The larger medial knob, from which the flexors arise; the ulnar nerve passes behind it.Miller 2020, p. 309

What it meets

Shoulder joint with scapula, elbow joint with radius and ulna.

Bones it articulates with

Joints it forms

  • Shoulder joint
  • Elbow joint

Muscles and ligaments that take hold of it

  • Biceps tendon of origin
  • Transverse humeral retinaculum

Measured on the specimen

What the humerus is in contact with in the model itself, with the share of the other structure’s surface it covers. A contact is not always a joint: bones that simply lie against one another are in this list too.

Measured on the left side.

Terminology

English
Humerus
Latin (NAV)
Humerus
Status
A valid term in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria

References

Where to read this structure in full, and where the named parts above were read.

  • Miller 2020Miller 2020, ch. 4 The Skeleton, Humerus, PDF p. 300
  • König & Liebich 2020skeleton of the thoracic limb, p. 171-184
  • Dyce 2017ch. 16 Forelimb of the Dog and Cat, p. 464 (clavicle p. 69)
  • NAV 2017Osteologia