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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.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras
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Morphological integration and functional modularity in the crocodilian skull.

Paolo Piras1, Angela D Buscalioni, Luciano Teresi

  • 1Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, France; Center for Evolutionary Ecology, Rome, Italy; Department of Sciences, 'Roma Tre' University, Rome, Italy.

Integrative Zoology
|September 20, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Crocodylian skull shape differs between Alligatoridae and Crocodylidae, with functional traits more influential in Crocodylidae. The postrostrum (rear skull) is evolutionarily more stable than the rostrum (snout).

Keywords:
crocodilian skullfunctional performancegeometric morphometricsmodularitymorphological integration

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Area of Science:

  • Comparative anatomy
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • The skull of Crocodylia is composed of two main functional modules: the rostrum and postrostrum.
  • Understanding the integration and evolutionary dynamics of these modules is crucial for deciphering feeding ecology and phylogenetic relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the morphological organization of the crocodilian skull, focusing on functional and phylogenetic interactions between the rostrum and postrostrum.
  • To compare shape variation and evolutionary allometry between the Alligatoridae and Crocodylidae families.

Main Methods:

  • Geometric morphometrics was employed to analyze localized shape changes in the skull.
  • Published bite performance data were used to correlate rostral function with postrostral morphology.
  • Phylogenetic comparative methods were utilized to assess evolutionary patterns.

Main Results:

  • Skull modules show greater integration in Alligatoridae than in Crocodylidae.
  • Phylogenetic effects on shape are more pronounced in Alligatoridae, while functional parameters dominate in Crocodylidae.
  • Long-snouted species exhibit reduced structural performance, linked to a smaller pterygoid-quadrate cranial nipper, suggesting its importance for large prey ingestion.

Conclusions:

  • The postrostrum is evolutionarily more conservative than the rostrum across both morphospace occupation and phylogenetic signal.
  • Functional pressures, particularly related to rostral morphology, play a more significant role in shaping Crocodylidae evolution compared to phylogenetic effects.
  • Crocodylidae and Alligatoridae exhibit distinct patterns of evolutionary allometry in their skull morphology.