Jaw articulation provides clues as to diet based on whether or not the jaw can move only up and down or side to side as well.
a. In herbivores, what type of jaw movement do you expect?
Why?
b. In carnivores, what type of jaw movement do you expect? Why?
The type of jaws in Carnivores and herbivores is differentiated
by posterior end of the jaw, by its angle.
a) Herbivores have side to side movement of the lower jaw which
helps in chewing food.The masseter muscle that attaches the
Zygomatic arch and the outerside of the lower jaw is stronger and
larger in herbivores that allows side to side motion. this helps in
the grinding of fibrous plant matter. The chewing and grinding
causes the teeth to wear with age, hence their teeth are stained
from substances in plants.
b) Carnivores have scissor like up and down motion. The jaw
joint lies on the same level as tooth row, the horizontal movement
of the lower jaw is not possible.
In carnivores,the temporal muscle is larger than masseter in
herbivores which pulls the jaw up with great speed and power. the
masseter muscle helps in stabilizing the jaw during closing.
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