Title: How to Read a Mammal Skull
Introduction:
Animal skulls can provide a variety of details about creatures, including how they once thrived in the wild. A few straightforward observations
of an animal's skull can provide information about its diet, whether it was a predator or prey, and which senses were most crucial to its survival.
Instructions:
1. This is to be done individually. You may collaborate but each student is submitting an original/individual report. Your report must be
condensed but complete, have breadth and depth, that is, not superficial. This is due 12 midnight Nov. 27. Late submission will not be accepted.
2. Each student is to collect data for the first four animals.
3. See below for the six additional animals that are assigned to you. Therefore, each student has ten animals to collect data on. Note: Include
images of the animals in the body of your report.
4. Although I provided several websites you need to add a reference section and it is to include the sites already provided.
5. Discuss the results explaining what you learned about the biology of each animal or a group if appropriate. See the Class Mammalia document
which is uploaded in Teams.
6. Conclusion/summary: What are the major findings?
Method:
Using online resources to help identify different mammal’s skull.
Results/Data
Species
Teeth
Nasal cavity
Eye orbits
Foramen
Magnum
1. Cat, Domestic
pointed
Short nasal cavity
that has complex
bony structures
Large eye orbits
on the front skull
Back of the skull
Sagittal
crest
Scientific Names
Midline of
the skull
Carnivora
feliformia
2. Dog, Domestic
Long and pointed
Long nasal cavity
Large eye orbits
Central part of
the occipital
bone
Top of the
skull
Canis lupus
3. Human
Flat
Short nasal cavity
Large eye orbits
Back base of the
skull
No sagittal
crest
Homo sapiens
4. Rhesus Monkey
Small sharp
canine/ flat teeth
Short nasal cavity
Large eye orbits
Back base of the
skull
Top of the
skull
Macaca mulatta
5. Armadillo,
Nine-banded
Flat teeth
Long nasal cavity
Large eye orbits
Posterior area of
the skull base
Top of the
skull
Dasypus
novemcinctus
6. Weasel/ Stoat
Pointed teeth
Long/large nasal
cavity
Small eye orbits
Back based of
the skull
Top of the
skull
Mustela
7. Gorilla
Flat teeth/ sharp
canines
Large nasal cavity
Small eye orbits
Behind the
posterior of the
skull
Top of the
skull
Gorilla
8. White Tailed
Deer
Flat teeth
Long nasal cavity
Large eye orbits
Near the bottom
of the skull
Top of the
skull
Odocoileus
virginianus
9. Common
Wombat
Long flat teeth
Long nasal cavity
Large eye orbits
Central part of
the occipital
bone
Top of the
skull
Vombatus ursinus
10. Vampire Bat
Long pointed
teeth
Short nasal cavity
Small eye orbits
Back base of the
skull
Top of the
skull
Desmodontinae
1. Cat, Domestic:
2. Dog, Domestic:
3. Human:
4. Rhesus Monkey:
5. Armadillo, Nine-banded:
6. Weasel/ Stoat:
7. Gorilla:
8. White Tailed Deer:
9. Common Wombat:
10. Vampire Bat:
Discussion:
Skulls can tell you a lot about an animal’s diet and lifestyle. They can be found in roadside ditches, and even open hills. Based on the structure of
the mammal’s skull that I have been assigned I have identified a few things. For example, carnivorous animals such as gorillas have pointed
teeth with no gaps while herbivorous animals such as the white-tailed deer have ridged grinding surfaces on their teeth and a long, toothless gap
between the cheek teeth and the front of the jaw. Rodent animals such as the common wombat have one pair of incisors in the upper and lower
jaw, and then a gap before the flat, grinding cheek teeth. In addition, animals like cats have a very short snout and typically only three or four
teeth behind the canines.
Conclusion:
Reading a mammal’s skull gives you insight into an animal’s diet but one of the easiest ways I have found to identify animals diet is based on
the teeth shape. In addition, an animal’s skull can tell you the size of the animal’s eye orbits, nasal cavity and what senses were most crucial to
its survival.
References
1. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/featured-collections/how-read-mammal-skull?object_url=edanmdmnmnheducation_10841947&page_url=skull-basics
2. https://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Learning/documents/CCCWE/IDMammalSkulls.pdf
3. http://www.skullsite.co.uk/
4. https://sketchfab.com/openededinburgh/collections/the-royal-dick-school-of-veterinary-studies-bb76bccac5bf4dd9af0a6d3142dc50cd
5. https://www.skullsunlimited.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5bPC2sai8wIVwq6GCh2tEQlOEAAYASAAEgJaxPD_BwE
6. https://www2.pugetsound.edu/academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/biodiversity-resources/mammals/skulls-and-teeth/
7. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/featured-collections/how-read-mammal-skull
8. https://themammallab.com/2021/08/introduction-to-mammalogy-lab/
9. https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1145.pdf