Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cranial Bones: Lateral View01:27

Cranial Bones: Lateral View

The lateral view of the cranium is dominated by temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones.
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View01:14

Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View

The superior view of the cranium shows the frontal and paired parietal bones.
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
The Fossil Record02:56

The Fossil Record

The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
Sutures of the Skull01:22

Sutures of the Skull

The human skull is composed of several bones that come together to protect the brain and support the structures of the face. The junctions where these bones meet are called sutures.
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
Overview of the Skull01:08

Overview of the Skull

The cranium (skull) is the skeletal structure of the head that supports the face and protects the brain. It is subdivided into the facial bones and the brain case, or cranial vault. The facial bones underlie the facial structures, form the nasal cavity, enclose the eyeballs, and support the teeth of the upper and lower jaws.
The cranial vault surrounds and protects the brain and houses the middle and inner ear structures. This cavity is bounded superiorly by the rounded top of the skull, which...
Larynx01:21

Larynx

The human larynx, often referred to as the voice box, is an intricate organ located in the neck. It serves as a pathway for air to enter the lungs during respiration and is an essential component of voice production.
Anatomy of the Larynx
The larynx consists of various components, including cartilage, muscles, and vocal cords. Its structure includes three large unpaired cartilages—the thyroid, cricoid, and epiglottis—and three smaller paired cartilages—the arytenoids, corniculates, and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A new metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Yunnan Province, China.

PeerJ·2025
Same author

Harnessing Visible Light for CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion: The Role of Highly Reduced Phosphomolybdate Crystals as Powerful Photocatalysts.

Inorganic chemistry·2024
Same author

Author Correction: An extraordinary fossil captures the struggle for existence during the Mesozoic.

Scientific reports·2024
Same author

Small Conjugated Organic Ligand-Modified Polyoxometalate-Based Hybrid Materials for Boosting Photocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction.

Inorganic chemistry·2024
Same author

An extraordinary fossil captures the struggle for existence during the Mesozoic.

Scientific reports·2023
Same author

[Research on artificial substitutes of rare and endangered animal medicinal materials and industrialization].

Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica·2023
Same journal

Could snort production reflect comfort in horses kept outdoors? A first study.

Die Naturwissenschaften·2026
Same journal

Pyrazole-thiazolidine hybrids as α-amylase inhibitor: a mechanistic and computational investigation.

Die Naturwissenschaften·2026
Same journal

Conventional methods may cause allometric analyses to be unreliable.

Die Naturwissenschaften·2026
Same journal

Impact of habitat disturbance on activity pattern and diet of de brraza's monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus) in kafa biosphere reserve, South West Ethiopia.

Die Naturwissenschaften·2026
Same journal

Ethnobotany of desert medicinal plants and their sustainable ethnomedicinal utilization.

Die Naturwissenschaften·2026
Same journal

Temperature effects on survival and dormancy patterns across age groups in vulnerable land snail Vertigo moulinsiana.

Die Naturwissenschaften·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography
07:30

Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography

Published on: November 14, 2025

An upper Cretaceous lizard with a lower temporal arcade.

Jun-Chang Lü1, Shu-An Ji, Zhi-Ming Dong

  • 1Geological Institute, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 26 Baiwanzhuang Road, Beijing 100037, People's Republic of China.

Die Naturwissenschaften
|March 14, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A new fossil lizard challenges squamate evolution. This reptile uniquely features a complete lower temporal arcade and a fixed quadrate, offering new insights into jaw mechanics and muscle function in lizards.

More Related Videos

Assessing Spatial Learning and Memory in Small Squamate Reptiles
08:44

Assessing Spatial Learning and Memory in Small Squamate Reptiles

Published on: January 3, 2017

Computer-Generated Animal Model Stimuli
26:43

Computer-Generated Animal Model Stimuli

Published on: July 29, 2007

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography
07:30

Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography

Published on: November 14, 2025

Assessing Spatial Learning and Memory in Small Squamate Reptiles
08:44

Assessing Spatial Learning and Memory in Small Squamate Reptiles

Published on: January 3, 2017

Computer-Generated Animal Model Stimuli
26:43

Computer-Generated Animal Model Stimuli

Published on: July 29, 2007

Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Vertebrate Zoology

Background:

  • Squamates, including lizards and snakes, are characterized by a reduced lower temporal arcade and a movable quadrate bone.
  • These features are considered defining traits, with no exceptions previously known in fossil or living species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe a newly discovered fossil lizard with unique cranial and jaw anatomy.
  • To investigate the functional implications of its distinct features on jaw mechanics and muscle action.

Main Methods:

  • Anatomical description of the fossil lizard's skull, focusing on the lower temporal arcade and quadrate bone.
  • Comparative analysis with known squamate anatomy.
  • Functional interpretation of the observed anatomical modifications.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of a fossil lizard possessing a complete lower temporal arcade and an unmovable quadrate.
  • Evidence suggests these traits were acquired secondarily.
  • The complete bar and pterygoid-quadrate contact may brace the jaw articulation against anterior twisting during biting.

Conclusions:

  • This fossil represents a significant exception to typical squamate cranial morphology.
  • It reveals a novel pattern of jaw muscle function within Squamata.
  • The findings necessitate a re-evaluation of evolutionary pathways in lizard jaw anatomy.