Vol. 8, Issue 4, Part C (2023)

The present study was conducted on the skeleton of hindlimb of adult Indian eagle owl. The os-coxae was made up of three bones - ilium, ischium, and pubis. Elongated os-ilium can be distinguished into pre-acetabular and post-acetabular parts. The ischium was in the form of a large bony plate which formed a large sciatic foramen with ilium and a small obturator foramen with pubis. Pubis was a thin, elongated bone situated along the ventral border of ischium where it formed the incisura puboischiadica. The acetabulum was in the form of a circular foramen. Femur presented a hemispherical head, a short neck, and a very large trochanter major on the proximal end, and two disto-caudally directed condyles on very large distal end. Tibiotarsus which was formed by the fusion of distal end of tibia with the proximal row of tarsals presented two grooved condyles on the proximal extremity and two symmetrical condyles which were separated by the inter-condyloid fossa anteriorly on the distal extremity. It was the longest bone. Fibula was a reduced bone. Tarsometatarsus comprised of II, III and IV metatarsal bones which were fused together and with distal tarsal bones.