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Do animal skeletons within its family (taxonomic rank), have similar bone structures?

Community
#1

Hello,

I recently started sculpting animals and am in the process of gathering reference for anatomy (particularly the skeleton). I was wondering if animal skeletons are pretty similar within a family (in this case I’m referring to the taxonomic rank such as class, order, family, genus, species, etc.).

For example, would an animal under the Mustelidae family (such as a Weasel) have a similar skeletal structure to another animal under the Mustelidae family (such as a wolverine, badger, mink, or marten). Similar would mean having the same number of vertebrae, ribs, bones in the front/hind legs, etc., just shaped different proportionally.

The reason I ask is that if I have a picture of a weasel skeleton where it’s hard to make out the foot very well, I’d like to be able to reference say a wolverine skeleton where I may have a better image of the foot. Hopefully this all makes sense. Also where would be the best place to post a question like this? The community forum seemed like the best option from what I could see, but perhaps there’s somewhere more appropriate? Thanks!

#2

It’s the foundation of the science of comparative anatomy pioneered by Cuvier in the 18th century, and how he was able to correctly deduce that certain bones found as fossils represented extinct species related to living animals, such as elephants and sloths.

So yes, your weasel’s foot bones would resemble those of a wolverine, although less robust. But there are limits to this as well - elephants, for example, are known to have descended from a creature akin to the rock hyrax, although it would take a real expert to note the similarities in their bones.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com