Saturday, May 10, 2014

Rattlesnake

I'm currently working on a large (c. 1.3 m) timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) for a veterinarian. The specimen was in great shape, and I didn't notice anything special when I dissected and skinned it prior to cleaning. However, once cleaned I was very surprised by the bony growth present on numerous vertebrae, sometimes completely locking them together. I still have to do some research, but from what I read and discussed with a couple of people, they might be some kind of cancerous lesions. The skull also exhibits minor deformations.






Multiple views of various vertebral segments. Only the most serious deformities are pictured here. Scale bar=1 cm.




Several views of the articulated vertebral column.

The right dentary also exhibits slight deformation.


3 comments:

  1. Hi Sebastien,

    My name is Mark Harris. I've been trying to contact you regarding my work with elasmobranch odontology but I cannot find an email for you anywhere. Can you possibly contact me at Harris99@tampabay.rr.com ?

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  2. Hi Mark,
    Thanks for your message. Just sent you an email, if for some reason you don't get it, feel free to leave another comment here.
    Cheers,
    Sebastien

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  3. Very interesting work. I know the last post was a few years ago...but if you or Mark Harris would contact me at kellyrae@lastingimagepro.com I would appreciate it. I tired Mark's email, but it bounced back. If you have a more recent email for him please email me. Thanks. ~KellyRae

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