Mink and humans share several common characteristics due to their common roots in the animal kingdom. Both human and mink species are classified as Animalia Chordata Mammalia until separated by order, humans being primates and mink in the order carnivores. It is because of their common roots that they have similar types of muscles with similar functions, which help them survive and function in their individual habitats. Arm and Shoulder Muscles One of the most important muscles in both a mink and a human are those of the arms and shoulders. shoulders due to their involvement in the movement. One of the primary drivers of arm abduction along the frontal plane is the deltoid muscle found in both minks and humans. In both species, the deltoid muscles allow abduction of the humerus. The next two muscles are the biceps brachii and its opposing muscle the triceps brachii. The biceps brachii is made up of two heads, which arise from the scapula and join to form a single muscle that ends at the top of the forearm. The most important functions of the biceps brachii are supination of the forearm and flexion of the elbow. The triceps brachii on the other hand extends the forearm in both minks and humans and has three heads instead of the two of its antagonist biceps brachii (Scott). The triceps brachii also comes from the scapula like the biceps brachii. In a mink, the extensor digitorum originates on the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, but in humans it is present in the posterior forearm and is responsible for extension of the phalanges, wrist, and elbow in both species. Another muscle with similar functions to the extensor digitorum is the flexor carpi ulnaris but is instead solely responsible for flexing... midway through the paper... their general function is to adduct the scapula and pull it cranially into a mink (Rugiel). In humans, there are only two rhomboid muscles, the major and minor, but they work together to provide a function similar to that of the rhomboid muscles of the mink (Lapetino). Leg MusclesThe gluteus maximus/minimus are nearly identical in minks and humans having both the responsibility of extending or abducting the femur. The gluteus maximus originates from both the ilium and the sacrum and inserts onto the femur. The gluteus minimus abducts and rotates the thigh outward. The biceps femoris originates from the tuberosity of the ischium and is responsible for abduction of the thigh and flexion of the hind limb or, in humans, the thigh/leg. The gastrognemius originates from the lateral sesamoid bone of the femur and extends into the hindfoot in mink and calves in humans (Scott).