Friday, May 31, 2013

A Manatees Limited Range of Motion

The manatee only has six cervical vertebrae, therefore it can not turn its head.

 Picture from Manatees.Net

 Most mammals have seven cervical vertebrae, which allows them to turn their head in order to see behind and to the side of them.  However, with only six, the manatee must turn it's entire body when it wants to look around.

No comments: