New paper published! 3D anatomy of the quail lumbosacral spinal canal—implications for putative mechanosensory function

Evidence suggests that birds possess an enigmatic balance sensing organ in the lumbosacral spinal canal, called the ‘lumbosacral organ’ (LSO).  We develop a 3D anatomical model of the quail LSO that includes bony and soft-tissue structures. Based on anatomical features, we propose that the LSO functions as a fluid-submerged mass-spring-damper system that could sense accelerations…