supracoracoideus muscle

anatomy

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Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

The supracoracoideus muscle is an important muscle for body support in limbed reptiles. It is located beneath the front part of the pectoral muscle, originates from the coracoid, and attaches to the underside of the humerus. In birds, this muscle is the primary elevator of the wing.12

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bird
Muscles and organs
…lowers the wing, and the supracoracoideus, which raises it. The latter lies in the angle between the keel and the plate of the sternum and along the coracoid. It achieves a pulleylike action by means of a tendon that passes through the canal at the junction of the coracoid, furcula,…
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…lowers the wing, and the supracoracoideus, which raises it. The latter lies in the angle between the keel and the plate of the sternum and along the coracoid. It achieves a pulleylike action by means of a tendon that passes through the canal at the junction of the coracoid, furcula,…
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muscle
Tetrapod musculature
…of the wing in birds, supracoracoideus, is present in all tetrapods. In mammals the supracoracoideus retains its attachment to the humerus, but its previous point of origin (the coracoid plate) disappears, and the muscle now appears as two separate blocks of muscle arising on either side of the spine of…
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…of the wing in birds, supracoracoideus, is present in all tetrapods. In mammals the supracoracoideus retains its attachment to the humerus, but its previous point of origin (the coracoid plate) disappears, and the muscle now appears as two separate blocks of muscle arising on either side of the spine of…
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