This is one of those hodgepodge posts we throw together when we have assorted factoids that need a common theme. The theme here is bone.

Dogs have a very complex bone structure, and depending upon the length of their tail, they have 319 to 321 bones in their body. This is 115 more bones than in humans, the extra bones attributed to a dog’s extra teeth and vertebrae.

Here’s a news flash: Not all of dogs have the exact same size and shape to their bones. They vary greatly in terms of length and thickness and it depends upon the specific breed.

Admittedly, this is hardly news for some readers. Others, however, will learn for the first time there when we refer to “shape,” we mean the shape of the bone, say the foreleg, in a cross section. It may be flat, oval, or round, and many breed standards mention this. You can read a bit more on this here. 

As for “head bones,” dogs, like humans, have an occipital bone, but their’s is more noticeable than ours. We don’t notice our occipital bone because this trapezoid-shaped bone is at the lower-back of our cranium, one of seven bones that come together to form our skull.  At one time, people thought that a dog’s occipital bone indicated a dog’s intelligence or wisdom. The more noticeable the “bump,” the smarter the dog, or so some people thought, and this is why it was called the “Knowledge Bump.”

Nature sees it differently. Predators typically go after a dog’s throat or attempt to crush its head. The better protection the head (and brain) have, the better the chances of survival.  The occiput is home to several nerve endings (people who practice therapeutic canine massage and acupuncture believe this part of a dog’s head is worthy of extra attention), but it also helps the dog’s head movement in relation to its spine.

Speaking of dog bone shape, did you know that astronomers have learned that the asteroid Kleopatra (named after the ancient Egyptian queen) is actually “dog-bone” shaped? NBC news reported on it here, and the scientific paper released just a couple of months ago can be read here.

Image: English Setter Head by ©Lilun/Dreamstime.com