How many sesamoid bones in a bovine skeleton?

Answer 1

Bovine : relating to cattle.
i.e in Late Latin [bovinus] means cow or ox.

Sesamoid bones are small more or less rounded masses embedded in certain tendons and usually related to joint surfaces. Their functions probably are to modify pressure, to diminish friction, and occasionally to alter the direction of a muscle pull. That they are not developed to meet certain physical requirements in the adult is evidenced by the fact that they are present as cartilaginous nodules in the fetus, and in greater numbers than in the adult. They must be regarded, according to Thilenius, as integral parts of the skeleton phylogenetically inherited. (*66 Physical necessities probably come into play in selecting and in regulating the degree of development of the original cartilaginous nodules. Nevertheless, irregular nodules of bone may appear as the result of intermittent pressure in certain regions, e.g.,the "rider's bone," which is occasionally developed in the Adductor muscles of the thigh.

Sesamoid bones often throw off the count of a person's individual bones, because they can appear anywhere. These smooth, round bones often form in the knuckles of the hand. The largest and most well-known of these is the patella, or kneecap, which is formed inside the quadriceps femoris tendon.