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

3.7K
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...
3.7K
Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View01:14

Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View

4.1K
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,...
4.1K
Overview of the Skull01:08

Overview of the Skull

6.6K
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...
6.6K
Sutures of the Skull01:22

Sutures of the Skull

9.1K
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...
9.1K
Nose and Nasal Cavity01:24

Nose and Nasal Cavity

7.0K
The nose is composed of an observable exterior segment (external nose) and an internal segment within the skull known as the nasal cavity (internal nose). The external nose, visible on the face, consists of a framework of bone and hyaline cartilage enveloped in skin and muscle and lined with a mucous membrane. This structure is supported by the frontal bone, nasal bones, and maxillary bone and is supplemented by a cartilaginous framework comprising the septal nasal cartilage, lateral nasal...
7.0K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

30.3K
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.
30.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Cumulative effects of lifelong systemic excess growth hormone on postcranial skeletal morphology in adult mice.

Journal of anatomy·2026
Same author

A diminutive tyrannosaur lived alongside <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i>.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

Development of postcranial pneumaticity in the turkey (<i>Meleagris gallopavo</i>): insight from the forelimb skeleton.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2025
Same author

Osteohistology of the unusually fast-growing theropod dinosaur Ceratosaurus.

Journal of anatomy·2025
Same author

Cretaceous Antarctic bird skull elucidates early avian ecological diversity.

Nature·2025
Same author

Global challenges and solutions to achieving and sustaining measles and rubella elimination.

Revista panamericana de salud publica = Pan American journal of public health·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton
08:02

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Published on: May 7, 2016

10.1K

Postcranial Skeletal Pneumaticity in Cuculidae.

Samuel B Gutherz1, Patrick M O'Connor2

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, 228 Irvine Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, 228 Irvine Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, USA; Ohio Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, Irvine Hall, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA.

Zoology (Jena, Germany)
|March 17, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Cuckoos exhibit extensive skeletal pneumaticity, a trait unique to birds. This study reveals limited variation in pneumaticity within the Cuculidae family, suggesting biomechanical factors influence bone air-filling patterns.

Keywords:
AvianCuckoosPneumaticityecomorphology

More Related Videos

Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras
09:38

Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras

Published on: May 31, 2014

11.2K
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
07:26

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology

Published on: August 22, 2022

1.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton
08:02

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Published on: May 7, 2016

10.1K
Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras
09:38

Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras

Published on: May 31, 2014

11.2K
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
07:26

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology

Published on: August 22, 2022

1.7K

Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity, the presence of air-filled bones, is a defining characteristic of extant birds.
  • Previous studies on avian skeletal pneumaticity have predominantly focused on aquatic and semi-aquatic species, such as Anseriformes and Aequorlitornithes.
  • The variation in pneumaticity across different bird species is extensive, ranging from near-complete skeletal pneumatization to its complete absence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • This research is the first clade-centric investigation of skeletal pneumaticity within the exclusively terrestrial bird family, Cuculidae (cuckoos).
  • To evaluate existing trends in pneumaticity patterns using the diverse body sizes and ecologies within the cuckoo family.
  • To explore the correlation between skeletal pneumaticity, body mass, and biomechanical loading regimes in cuckoos.

Main Methods:

  • Surveyed postcranial skeletal pneumaticity across 41 species of the bird family Cuculidae.
  • Documented the presence and location of pneumatic elements within the skeleton.
  • Analyzed the variation in pneumaticity expression relative to phylogenetic divergence and body mass.

Main Results:

  • Cuckoos exhibit extensive postcranial skeletal pneumaticity, with 30 of 41 species showing an identical pattern of pneumatization in postaxial vertebrae, humerus, sternum, and pelvic girdle.
  • The remaining 11 species displayed limited deviations, with pneumatization of the femur or scapula/coracoid, primarily in early diverging clades.
  • A positive correlation was observed between body mass and skeletal pneumaticity, with potential links between specific pneumatic expansions and locomotor behaviors like cursoriality.

Conclusions:

  • The limited variation in skeletal pneumaticity within Cuculidae, compared to aquatic birds, may stem from a higher baseline level of pneumatization.
  • Skeletal pneumaticity expression in birds appears to be influenced by biomechanical loading regimes, not solely by the need for weight reduction.
  • This study supports the hypothesis that evolutionary changes in pneumaticity are linked to adaptations in functional morphology and biomechanics across avian clades.