Being lucky enough to hunt Lion in 2013 am interested in any info on the "floating bone"
in Lion.
What is it's purpose?
My brother mentiomed about getting Jewllery made from it, did a search and got a couple of really old posts so wondering on any updated info? Ta

I can't give you any scientific info. but I had mine made into a bolo tie. It is silver with gold trim and bone retainers in gold with a gold paw print in the center and the bones on both sides of the paw print.

I also had the floating boness from my Leopard made into a pendent for my granddaughter.

Good for cluttering up the top draw of hunting thingos.

like Elk teeth, expanded projectiles etc etc

Knives, Ele hair bracelets,porky pine quills, lucky beans . The list is as long as the draw is full.

They serve to lock the tendons connected to the dew claws when they get a grip on their prey.
These bones are found 'floating' in the pectoral muscles. (if you want them intact avoid a frontal shot).

I had a necklace made out of mine for my wife. I also had a pair of ear-rings made from two of the claws.

I haven't done anything with the floating bones from my leopard.

I am having Richard Kosovich out of Homer, AK making a bolo tie out of lion's floating bone and earrings for my daughter out of a leopard's floating bones.

If these items are just taking up space and gethering dust in a draw it is only the owners fault.

Got mine from my lions and leopards in the same drawer as my recovered bullets and the two pecker bones from my Brown Bears!

Oh yeah, there are some Elk "Ivory" in there as well along with 15 or so Elephant Hair Bracelets!

Hmm, shows you what I know, I thought it was the lion's version of the hyoid bone. Interesting.

I have the original floating bones from both the Lion and my last Leopard. I had replicas of the Lion's floating bones cast in silver for me by a jeweler for use in some jewelry.

I would like to see some photos.

I thought they were the hyoid as well.

Gents:
The floating bones from my lion and leopard have been sitting in a jar since '06. Thanks for the insights on what to do with them.
Cheers, all.
Cal

thanks for the info. If any could post a photo of a finished piece of jewellry would be much appreciated. Scott

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I thought they were the hyoid as well.

Not located anywhere near the larynx - just embedded in the pectoral muscles.

I have a pretty cool pair of lion floating bones. They came from my Tanzanian lion.

One of the bones was fractured at some point in the lion's life (don't ask me how), and I mean seriously fractured.

It was completely broken in half, and even though the fracture had mended, it was a bad mend and the bone was badly misshapen and stunted.

I just framed them with a lion photo as backdrop. Here's a photo:

quote:

They serve to lock the tendons connected to the dew claws when they get a grip on their prey.

I do not believe this is correct, I am far from an expert but it is my understanding the primary purpose of their "floating bones" is to allow them to basically squeeze through any space they can fit their heads through. They also enable them much greater flexibility of their shoulders and forelimbs shown by behaviour such as their ability to walk narrow paths/ledges 1 foot in front of the other. If you watch a cat stalk, you can see it scapulae rise and fall independant of the spine and head. In other words, the cats shoulder swings along with it's leg giving it a greater range of motion and lengthening it's reach. Perhaps our resident veterinarian will post his professional opinion.

I believe their purpose is solely for tourists to make jewelry from them.

From what I learned in vet school the floating bones are equivalent (evolutionarily speaking) to our clavicles, and are vestigial structures in the cat. They are floating in a tendinous attachment between muscles that run from the upper arm to the neck and can be palpated cranial to the shoulder joint.

quote:

Originally posted by edholum:
From what I learned in vet school the floating bones are equivalent (evolutionarily speaking) to our clavicles, and are vestigial structures in the cat. They are floating in a tendinous attachment between muscles that run from the upper arm to the neck and can be palpated cranial to the shoulder joint.

That is 100% correct they are clavicles (collar bone). In the lion...they do not articulate with the sternum or the scapula...but "float" in the musculature in between the two.

I suppose then they serve no function such as locking dew claws?

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by edholum:
From what I learned in vet school the floating bones are equivalent (evolutionarily speaking) to our clavicles, and are vestigial structures in the cat. They are floating in a tendinous attachment between muscles that run from the upper arm to the neck and can be palpated cranial to the shoulder joint.

That is 100% correct they are clavicles (collar bone). In the lion...they do not articulate with the sternum or the scapula...but "float" in the musculature in between the two.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwanamich:
I believe their purpose is solely for tourists to make jewelry from them.

Winner!

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
I suppose then they serve no function such as locking dew claws?

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by edholum:
From what I learned in vet school the floating bones are equivalent (evolutionarily speaking) to our clavicles, and are vestigial structures in the cat. They are floating in a tendinous attachment between muscles that run from the upper arm to the neck and can be palpated cranial to the shoulder joint.

That is 100% correct they are clavicles (collar bone). In the lion...they do not articulate with the sternum or the scapula...but "float" in the musculature in between the two.

A pity all those lying bastard PHs of the hey days who passed on that piece of misleading information about the "dew claw locking effect" are no longer present.

One wonders however why they are only present in cats; similarly with the bone in the heart of a Cape Buffalo which is not present in any other bovine (to the best of my knowledge).

Ever notice how all those sexy models wiggle and wobble on stage or catwalk? - its called the catwalk - I wonder if those beauties have floating bones as well.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

Ever notice how all those sexy models wiggle and wobble on stage or catwalk? - its called the catwalk - I wonder if those beauties have floating bones as well.

And, if so, where might the bones be located?
What an amusing thought on a quiet Sunday morning....

- Lars/Finland

I'll get back to you in a couple of Scotches.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
I suppose then they serve no function such as locking dew claws?

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by edholum:
From what I learned in vet school the floating bones are equivalent (evolutionarily speaking) to our clavicles, and are vestigial structures in the cat. They are floating in a tendinous attachment between muscles that run from the upper arm to the neck and can be palpated cranial to the shoulder joint.

That is 100% correct they are clavicles (collar bone). In the lion...they do not articulate with the sternum or the scapula...but "float" in the musculature in between the two.

A pity all those lying bastard PHs of the hey days who passed on that piece of misleading information about the "dew claw locking effect" are no longer present.

One wonders however why they are only present in cats; similarly with the bone in the heart of a Cape Buffalo which is not present in any other bovine (to the best of my knowledge).

Ever notice how all those sexy models wiggle and wobble on stage or catwalk? - its called the catwalk - I wonder if those beauties have floating bones as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Schauckis:

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

Ever notice how all those sexy models wiggle and wobble on stage or catwalk? - its called the catwalk - I wonder if those beauties have floating bones as well.

And, if so, where might the bones be located?
What an amusing thought on a quiet Sunday morning....

- Lars/Finland

In the "pectoral muscles" of course and if you know where and how to knead them you can even feel them

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:


One wonders however why they are only present in cats; similarly with the bone in the heart of a Cape Buffalo which is not present in any other bovine (to the best of my knowledge).

Ever notice how all those sexy models wiggle and wobble on stage or catwalk? - its called the catwalk - I wonder if those beauties have floating bones as well.

Fujo,

Every mammal on earth has a clavicle...even you and even those girls.

Take your right hand and reach up and touch the bone that runs from the front of your left shoulder to the front base of your neck. That is your clavicle. Ours and all primates...articulates with our scapula (shoulder blade) and our sternum (breast bone). The lions clavicle does not make bony contact with either but "floats" in the musculature in between.

All mammals have one of some-shape-or-form...but...many have evolved to be so rudimentary that it takes a comparitive anatomist to find them.

Now the heart-bone or os cordis. It does exist in cattle as well...just not the young we usually eat...common in old bulls.

All hearts have a "skeleton"...most are only fibrous. The "skeletal ring" of the heart resides at the top of the ventricles and serves to give stability to the valves. Cape Buffalo just happen to ossify their "cardiac skeletal ring" most of the time where it is random in other species. No mystery at all.

P.S. The muscle that flexes the dew-claw is the flexor policis longus muscle. It's proximal extent is the elbow. So the clavicle has NO effect on it.

Maybe those PH's that taught you that myth were the same ones that came up with the "bush-cat" term for young lions with premature manes.

Here is what I did with mine. Put into gold with a simple black rope and can be worn by anyone.

Thank you all for the factual information as well as the laughs!
Love the picture of the neck lace,if all things go to plan next year and get a mature Lion on the ground will be getting one made.Have fun

This is an interestiing question :According to Wikipedia (and 505 Gibbs) is that they give a cat flexibility in the shoulders thus allowing it to pass through any space it can fit its head.

Make interesting part of the trophy. We used these a lot as part of Zim PH practical test questions and had an array of answers - everything from rat ribs to snake fangs .

Good Hunting!

Here is mine from a lion shot last year in Moz

Nice one Dmitriy Any Safari plans for this season?

Scott, There is a jeweller that always attends the SCI DOWNUNDER shows that specializes in trophy jewellery.
He may be of use when the time comes.

Hi Adam
I,ve just returned from Zambia a few days ago. Leopard, Ele, Hippo & Croc taken )

quote:

Originally posted by Dmitriy:
Hi Adam
I,ve just returned from Zambia a few days ago. Leopard, Ele, Hippo & Croc taken )

Congratulations, I can't wait for your report and pictures.

quote:

Congratulations, I can't wait for your report and pictures.

I'm afraid my English is not good enough to tell the story on AR ))

Just a basic report with some pictures would be great.
Would be good to compare Lion and Leopard Floating Bones.

OK I'll try