Comparative analysis of hind limb muscles in the clouded leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, and domestic cat (Felis catus)

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2007, Vol.21 (6), p.A967-A967
• Main Authors: Hubbard, Chris J., Naples, Virginia L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.A967-b

The clouded leopard (CL, Neofelis nebulosa) is a medium‐sized, highly arboreal cat. In this study the structure of hind limb and paw pads was examined and compared to the domestic cat (DC, Felis catus). Dissections were carried out in parallel for both CL and DC. Maps of muscle attachment sites were constructed for each animal and all muscles were weighed and expressed as a % of the total muscle weight for each region. With minor exceptions, the results showed a surprising degree of homology between CL and DC both in terms of morphology, attachments sites and mass percentages for the major functional muscle groups. The metacarpal and metatarsal paw pads are covered by a cornified epidermis, supported by a supple subcutaneous fat pad that is extensively anchored by connective tissue strands to the tendon sheaths of the metacarpal and metatarsal phalangeal joints, respectively. Three tendinous branches extend from the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle distal to the flexor retinaculum that project through the fat pad and attach to the middle, medial and lateral sides of the paw pad epidermis. These may impart a gripping capability to the pad itself for improvement of traction on uneven surfaces. The similarities in both DC and CL appear to reflect an evolutionary arboreal origin.