How is a chickens anatomy similar to a humans?

Answer 1

Starting off with probably the most basic similarity is that a human and a chicken leg both provide movement. The function of both species legs is to allow for the animal to move around from place to place. The most similar aspect of the chicken leg to a human leg is the thigh. The muscles of the thigh in a chicken are basically the same as a human except they are rotated 180 degrees. A chicken leg has a gracilis, semitendinosus, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, and a semimembranosus (see diagram 1 in the lab to get a visual for these five muscles). In the lower leg around the chicken's tibiofibula, the gastrocnemius can be found (see diagram 1 for a visual). All of these six muscles can be found on a human thigh as well, just rotated.

In chickens, the gracilis and semitendinosus muscles are responsible for flexing the knee joint. In humans, the gracilis helps with knee flexion and the semitendinosus and biceps femoris work together to help bend the knee. (Semitendinosus, 2012) This is just one example of how the function of the muscles in a chicken leg parallel with muscles in a human leg. Most of the muscles in a chicken leg perform the same functions as those in a human leg.

Running through these muscles, there is a major nerve that is the same in both humans and chickens. This nerve is the sciatic nerve that runs down the posterior side of the thigh and lower leg in humans. Chickens have this nerve as well. The nerve allows both chickens and humans muscles to feel and to move. This is a major nerve that if damaged can cause many problems with lower leg and ankle reflexes and movement. (Sciatic Nerve, 2012)

Another major similarity between human and chicken is the knee joint. The knee joint bends in very similar ways in a chicken and human. Diagram 2 shows what a chicken knee joint looks like and it is extremely similar to a human knee joint. The femur meets the tibia connected laterally by the lateral collateral ligament, medially by the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and inside, just under the patella lies the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). In the knee joint, the two major ligaments are the ACL and MCL (see diagram 2). Both chickens and humans have these two ligaments in the same place and to serve the same function. These two ligaments prevent the femur and tibia from sliding, and they stabilize the knee so it cannot turn extremely in a rotational way. (The Knee, 2011)

Although there are numerous similarities, chicken and human legs are not all the same. One of most extreme differences is the bones of the lower leg. In a human, there is a tibia and a fibula. The fibula provides space for ligament attachment so that the ankle and foot can move around. However, a chicken's ankle and feet do not move around like a human and the space for ligament attachment on the fibula is not needed. Because of this, the chicken leg hardly has a fibula. A chicken's fibula looks like a splinter that runs from the knee joint to about two thirds of the way down the chicken's tibia. The fibula is very slight and the bones of the lower leg of a chicken are called the tibiofibula because of the almost nonexistent fibula. (Jacob, Pescatore, & Cantor, 2011)

Answer 2

Human leg: on a human

Bird leg: on a bird

Answer 3

They both have bones.

Answer 4

Your arm..