Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
07:26
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
Allometry and performance: the evolution of skull form and function in felids.
G J Slater1, B VAN Valkenburgh
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095-1606, USA. gslater@ucla.edu
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|October 3, 2009
Summary
Skull size in cat family (Felidae) affects feeding mechanics. Larger felids have stronger skulls and wider gapes, but reduced relative bite force, reflecting an evolutionary trade-off for hunting larger prey.
Area of Science:
- Comparative anatomy
- Biomechanics
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Allometric skull-shape variation impacts cranial mechanics and feeding performance.
- Previous studies have largely overlooked these allometric effects in feeding capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of allometric skull-shape variation on feeding capabilities within the cat family (Felidae).
- To analyze the relationship between skull size, cranial strength, bite force, and gape in felids.
Main Methods:
- Utilized linear morphometrics to quantify skull shape variation.
- Employed finite element analysis to assess cranial mechanics during biting.
- Examined skull-shape allometry in various species of the cat family.
Main Results:
- Relative bite force slightly decreases with increasing skull size in felids.
- Smaller felid skulls experience less strain during biting.
- Larger felids exhibit greater gape for a given jaw opening angle and possess stronger skulls.
- Increased cranial strength in large felids is linked to greater bone volume relative to surface area.
Conclusions:
- Allometry of skull geometry in large felids demonstrates a trade-off.
- This trade-off balances the need for increased gape to handle larger prey with the necessity of resisting mechanical stress from struggling prey.
- Skull allometry is crucial for understanding feeding adaptations and predatory success in the cat family.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Sutures 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...
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...
01:08Overview 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...
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...
01:29Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification
Intramembranous ossification is one of the two processes involved in the development of bones within an embryo. The flat bones of the face, most of the cranial bones, and the clavicles are formed via this process. During intramembranous ossification, the bones develop directly from sheets of undifferentiated mesenchymal connective tissue.
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
01:54Convergent Evolution
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.The structures that arise from convergent evolution are called analogous structures. They are similar in function even if they are dissimilar in structure. Further, structures can be analogous while also...
01:09Overview of the Axial Skeleton
The skeleton is subdivided into two major divisions—the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton forms the vertical, central axis of the body. It includes all of the bones of the head, neck, chest, and back. It protects the brain, spinal cord, heart, and lungs. It also serves as the attachment site for muscles that move the head, neck, and back and for muscles that act across the shoulder and hip joints to move their corresponding limbs.
The axial skeleton of the adult...
The axial skeleton of the adult...
01:09Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
The upper and lower limb initially develops as a small bulge called a limb bud, which appears on the lateral side of the early embryo. The upper limb bud appears near the end of the fourth week of development, with the lower limb bud appearing shortly after.
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...