Gorilla Skull Note: Sagittal Crest (that looks like a \"mohawk) which is where c
ID: 211018 • Letter: G
Question
Gorilla Skull Note: Sagittal Crest (that looks like a "mohawk) which is where chewing muscles attach and large holes of the cheek bones or zygomatic arches that allow for large chewing muscles. Teeth are also large, including large canines and gap or diastema to accommodate those large canines particularly in males who complete for female. Brown ridge is called supra-orbital torus.
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(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.Chimpanzee Skull: Note diastema present, lack of sagittal crest
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Chimpanzee skull top. Muscle attachments to lines on sides of the head are called nuchal crests. The pinching behind the eyes is called post-orbital constriction. Again the cheekbone holes for chewing muscles are called zygomatic arches. The "snout" or sticking out of the mouth is prognathism.
Recent Human skull side profile. less prognathism or flatter flace. highforeheadead.
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little to no postorbital constriction. no large attachments for muscles (more delicate or gracile).
Recent human top view
Recent human frontal view. high frontal area or forehead. no diastema.
Australopithecus afarensis STS 5 side
Australopithecus afarensis STS 5 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. top view
OH -5 Paranthropus boisei front
OH 5 Paranthropus boisei from top
KNM-ER 1813 Homo habilis
KNM-ER 1813 Homo habilis top
Homo_Ergaster-KNM-WT-15000_Nariokotome_Boy side
Homo_Ergaster-KNM-WT-15000_Nariokotome_Boy side
Homo_Ergaster-KNM-WT-15000_Nariokotome_Boy top view
Homo neanderthalensis LaFerrassie- 1 side
Homo neanderthalensis LaFerrassie- 1 top
Please describe the skulls in relationship to living species gorilla, chimpanzee and identify which aspects are unique (please keep in mind the condition/color are due to fossilizaiton process and should not be commented upon).
Australopithecus afarensis
Paranthropus boisei
Homo habilis
Homo ergaster
Homo neanderthalensis
Explanation / Answer
Australopithecus afarensis:-
They had ape-sized brains: their cranial capacity ranged from 375 to 530 cc.
They had strong jaws with large teeth. Like modern gorillas the adult males were much larger than the females.
This full size skull was sculpted for Bone Clones by scientific sculptor.
#Paranthropus boisei:-
characterized by a specialized skull with adaptations for heavy chewing.
A strong sagittal creston the midline of the top of the skull anchored the temporalis muscles (large chewing muscles) from the top and side of the braincase to the lower jaw, and thus moved the massive jaw up and down.
The force was focused on the large cheek teeth (molars and premolars). Flaring cheek bones gave P. boisei a very wide and dish-shaped face, creating a larger opening for bigger jaw muscles to pass through and support massive cheek teeth four times the size of a modern human’s.
# Homo habilis:-
brain case had become fuller and more rounded due to expansion of the brain
beginnings of a slight forehead were appearing
face had a small, arched brow ridge and was smaller and shorter than those of earlier ancestors
hole for the spinal cord was located in the middle of the skull base, showing that this species walked on two legs
facial projection was reduced compared with earlier species.
# Homo ergaster:-
They developed a more human-like shape including a higher, more domed cranium or braincase.
Unlike modern humans, the cranium had a moderate post-orbital constriction (indents behind the eye sockets). This featu
As our ancestors’ brains expanded, their skulls became fuller and more rounded with increasingly smaller post-orbital constrictions.
face projected outward but to a smaller degree than in earlier ancestors
distinct double-arched brow ridge lay above the eyes and a relatively distinct groove was located between the brow ridge and forehead
nose was human-like for the first time. It now projected outward whereas earlier species had flat noses.
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