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Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
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...
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,...
Structural Joints: Fibrous Joints01:03

Structural Joints: Fibrous Joints

Fibrous joints are a type of joint where the bones are connected by fibrous connective tissue. These joints provide stability and minimal to no movement between the articulating bones. There are three types of fibrous joints.
Suture
All the bones of the skull, except for the mandible, are joined to each other by a fibrous joint called a suture. The fibrous connective tissue found at a suture strongly unites the adjacent skull bones and thus helps to protect the brain and form the face. In...
Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification01:29

Bone 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...

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Functional implications of dicynodont cranial suture morphology.

Sandra C Jasinoski1, Emily J Rayfield, Anusuya Chinsamy

  • 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK. Sandra.Jasinoski@uct.ac.za

Journal of Morphology
|January 16, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Finite element analysis revealed differences in cranial strain between Lystrosaurus and Oudenodon during mastication. Cranial suture morphology in these dicynodonts suggests distinct functional adaptations related to feeding mechanics.

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Biomechanics
  • Comparative Anatomy

Background:

  • Dicynodonts, including Lystrosaurus and Oudenodon, were herbivorous synapsids prevalent during the Triassic.
  • Understanding their cranial function, particularly mastication, is key to reconstructing their paleoecology.
  • Cranial suture morphology can provide insights into the mechanical stresses experienced by the skull during function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cranial suture morphology and strain environments during mastication in Lystrosaurus and Oudenodon.
  • To determine if differences in suture morphology reflect distinct cranial functions between these two dicynodont taxa.

Main Methods:

  • Finite element (FE) analysis was used to simulate orthal bite forces and predict strain distribution in the crania of Lystrosaurus and Oudenodon.
  • Histological sections, serial sections, and computed tomography (CT) scans were employed to examine cranial suture morphology.
  • Strain-suture correlations, established in extant taxa, were used to interpret the functional significance of observed sutural patterns.

Main Results:

  • FE analysis indicated lower overall cranial strain in Lystrosaurus compared to Oudenodon during simulated bites.
  • Moderate to high strain, both compressive and tensile, was predicted in similar cranial regions (infraorbital bar, zygomatic arch, postorbital bar) for both taxa.
  • Specific suture morphologies, such as tongue-and-groove in Oudenodon and scarf joints in Lystrosaurus, were observed in high-strain areas, suggesting functional adaptations.

Conclusions:

  • Cranial suture morphology in Lystrosaurus and Oudenodon correlates with FE-predicted strain patterns, suggesting functional adaptations to masticatory forces.
  • The tongue-and-groove suture in Oudenodon's postorbital-parietal region may have resisted higher tensile strain.
  • The scarf premaxilla-nasal suture in Lystrosaurus indicates potential for greater sutural mobility, possibly reflecting a different biting strategy.