Morphological Characteristics of the Hindlimb Muscles of the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)

Abstract

This research aimed to examine the morphological characteristics of the hindlimb muscles in the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), with emphasis on their origins, insertions, and functions. This research was conducted on the hindlimb muscles of an adult male Asian palm civet using systematic dissection, observation, and anatomical documentation. The morphological data obtained were then analyzed comparatively with anatomical descriptions from the of the canine and feline myology textbook and atlas to determine the origin, insertion, and function of each muscle. Among the key morphological findings, m. abductor cruris caudalis was observed as a ribbon-like muscle, while m. sartorius was relatively large and covered the cranial part of the thigh in this species. These muscles in civets were observed to maintain stability during arboreal locomotion. From the research results, it can be concluded that the morphology of the Asian palm civet’s hindlimb muscles is similar to that of cats compared to dogs, with clarification of structural details through comparison with cat atlas references and the Asian palm civet’s ability to climb trees.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji karakteristik morfologi otot-otot kaki belakang pada musang luwak (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), dengan penekanan pada aspek origo, insersio, dan fungsi otot. Penelitian dilakukan pada otot kaki seekor musang luwak jantan dewasa menggunakan diseksi secara sistematik, observasi, dan dokumentasi anatomi. Data morfologi yang diperoleh kemudian dianalisis secara komparatif dengan deskripsi anatomi pada buku teks dan atlas miologi anjing dan kucing untuk penentuan origo, insersio, dan fungsi setiap otot. Di antara temuan morfologi utama, m. abductor cruris caudalis diamati berbentuk seperti pita, sedangkan m. sartorius berukuran relatif besar dan menutupi bagian kranial paha pada spesies ini. Otot-otot pada musang luwak ini diamati dapat menjaga stabilitas selama pergerakan arboreal. Dari hasil penelitian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa morfologi otot kaki belakang musang luwak mirip dengan kucing daripada anjing, dengan klarifikasi detail struktur melalui perbandingan dengan referensi atlas kucing dan kemampuan musang luwak memanjat pohon.