The right hip of the rabbit in ventral view; craniad is to the top of the photo; caudad is to the bottom of the photo. The uteri have been reflected to the left.

Dorsal view of the rabbit's right hip and thigh; craniad is to the top of the photo, and caudad to the bottom of the photo.

For comparison, see deep hip and tail dissections of a ferret, a fox, and a tree shrew.

Part I: Deep hip muscles

Quadratus lumborum
Origin: centra of the posterior thoracic and lumbar vertebrae
Insertion: ilium
Action: bends the body laterally

Iliopsoas (the following three muscles):
Psoas major
Origin: last three ribs and the corresponding thoracic vertebrae
Insertion: lesser trochanter of the femur
Action: flexes hip

Psoas minor
Origin: centre of the posterior thoracis and anterior lumbar vertebrae
Insertion: pelvic girdle (pubis)
Action: flexes back

Iliacus
Origin: deep surface of the ilium
Insertion: lesser trochanter of the femur
Action: flexes hip

Gemellus superior
Origin: by a tendon from the ischial spine, ischium, and ilium
Insertion: by a tendon onto the greater trochanter and trochanteric fossa of the femur
Action: rotate and abduct leg

Obturator internus
Origin: from around the edge of the obturator foramen and the ischial ramus
Insertion: by a tendon onto the trochanteric fossa of femur
Action: laterally rotates extended thigh and abducts flexed thigh

Quadratus femoris
Origin: anterior surface of the ischial tuberosity and superior ramus of the ischium
Insertion: on and below the third trochanter of the femur and below the trochanteric fossa of the femur
Action: laterally rotates and retracts thigh

Gemellus inferior
Origin: superior ramus of the ischium and the ischial tuberosity
Insertion: by tendon of obturator internus onto the trochanteric fossa of femur
Action: laterally rotate extended thigh and abducts flexed thigh

Obturator externus
Origin: obturator foramen and pubis
Insertion: trochanteric fossa of femur
Action: laterally rotates and protracts thigh

"Caudofemoralis" musculature (originally between the leg and the tail):
Piriformis (+)
Origin: sacral and caudal vertebrae
Insertion: greater trochanter of femur
Action: abducts and medially rotates thigh

Dissection notes:

After removing the digestive tract, one can observe the kidneys, aorta, vena cava, and other structures of this region. Deep to these structures, one can observe musculature running down the dorsal surface of the body wall. The massive musculature running from the end of the ribs continuing down the back and inserting onto the femur is the psoas major. [See Figures 9&10]. This musculature is so massive because of the constant bending and folding of the back that occurs from the rabbit's mode of locomotion, hopping and leaping. The shorter musculature, running medial to psoas major on both sides of the median, starting from the last third of the trunk and continuing down and inserting onto the pelvic girdle is psoas minor. [See upper Figure]. The musculature running medial to psoas minor is iliacus. Iliacus can be better seen if one turns the rabbit over and dissects through its dorsal musculature. After making an incision through gluteus superficialis close to its insertion tendon and reflecting it back, one then reveals gluteus medius. Directly deep to gluteus medius is iliacus.

To reveal the deepest musculature of the thigh one must cut coccygeofemoralis from its origin and biceps femoralis from its insertion and then reflect the muscles back and must perform the incision and reflection of gluteus superficialis that was mentioned in the previous paragraph. One can then see where gluteus superficialis inserts onto the femur. If you move inferior to this insertion, one can then see the insertions of the deep layer of thigh musculature onto the trochanteric fossa of the femur. These muscles that hold the leg on include (from most superior to inferior) gemellus superior (which you cannot clearly see its insertion without cutting some of the following muscles out of the way), obturator internus, gemellus inferior, obturator externus, and quadratus femoris. [See lower Figure].

Part II: The tail

The tail on O. cuniculus is rather short and curly. The tail is used as a signal of danger to other individuals of the species. The fur on the ventral side of the tail is whitish, or extremely lighter than the color of its coat and dorsal side of the tail. When danger is near and the rabbit has to flee, as it is hopping to safety it pulls its tail up so that lighter side can be seen by other individuals warning them that danger is near.

The tail musculature appears to be an extension of the sacrocaudal musculature (Popesko et al., 120), which consists of four muscles: extensor caudae medialis, abductor caudae posterior, abductor caudae anterior, and flexor caudae (Craigie, 343).

Extensor caudae medialis
Origin: between the spinous and articular processes
Insertion: caudal vertebrae
Action: tail movement

Abductor caudae posterior
Origin: articular and tranverse processes
Insertion: succeeding vertebrae
Action: tail movement
Note: This muscle corresponds with the medial side of longissimus

Abductor caudae anterior
Origin: Ischial spine
Insertion: caudal vertebrae
Action: tail movement

Flexor caudae
Origin: sacrun and anterior vertebrae
Insertion: succeeding vertebrae
Action: tail movement

The anterior portion of the tail begins with musculature that is an extension of the sacrocaudal musculature. Then about half way down the tail the musculature travels to the dorsal side of the tail. The remaining half of the tail is tendons from this musculature. The dorsal portion of the tail contains very little musculature which appears half way down the tail. This musculature of the tail (which is that musculature that traveled from the anterior side) travels down about a fourth of the length of the tail and then continues down the remaining fourth as tendons.

When the sacrocaudal musculature contracts the muscle heads shorten causing the tendons in the tail to shorten and pull the tail from its anterior surface. This muscle contraction causes the tail to stand up and reveal its whitish or lighter side. When the sacrocaudal musculature is in its relaxed state, the tendons in the tail at their normal length and the tail is in a relaxed state.

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