Articular capsule of the knee joint Articular capsule of the knee joint The articular capsule of the knee joint (commonly referred to as capsular ligament) is wide and lax; thin in front and at the side; and contains the patella ("knee cap"), ligaments, menisci, and bursae. The capsule consists of a synovial and a fibrous membrane separated by fatty deposits anteriorly and posteriorly. Anteriorly, the reflection of the synovial membrane lies on the femur; located at some distance from the cartilage because of the presence of the suprapatellar bursa. Above, the reflection appears lifted from the bone by underlying periosteal connective tissue. In a standing posture,
Femur the bone. Some species of whales, snakes, and other non-walking vertebrates have vestigial femurs. One of the earliest known vertebrates to have a femur is the "eusthenopteron", a prehistoric lobe-finned fish from the Late Devonian period. Structures analogous to the third trochanter are present in mammals, including some primates. In invertebrate zoology the name "femur" appears in arthropodology. The usage is not homologous with that of vertebrate anatomy; the term "femur" simply has been adopted by analogy and refers, where applicable, to the most proximal of (usually) the two longest jointed segments of the legs of the arthropoda. The two