Chapter 9 - Anatomy of skull and mandible
Title
Chapter 9 - Anatomy of skull and mandible
Creator
Hillmann DJ; Tarpley RJ; George JC; Nader PB; Thewissen JGM
Publisher
The Bowhead Whale
Date
2021
2021-01-01
Description
The skull of the bowhead whale is composed of all the bones commonly found in mammals, although the shape of these bones is far from ordinary. Features related to feeding dominate the skull: there are no teeth, and the rostrum is long and curved, resembling a bow. The incisive and maxilla form a high arch that forms the origin of the baleen rack, and the mandibles are straight in lateral view, but deeply curved in the horizontal plane to make room for the tongue and baleen. The blowhole is located near the apex of the skull, and the boney portion of the nasal passage opens caudally into the nasopharynx ventral to the braincase. As in other baleen whales, the occipital projects rostrally, covering a portion of the parietals and frontals.
Subject
bones; whale; Bowhead whale; skull; mandible; osteology; Balaena mysticetus;
Rights
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Format
journalArticle
Search for Full-text
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Pages
127-136
NEOMED College
NEOMED College of Medicine
NEOMED Department
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Update Year & Number
January 2021 List
Citation
Hillmann DJ; Tarpley RJ; George JC; Nader PB; Thewissen JGM, “Chapter 9 - Anatomy of skull and mandible,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed January 25, 2025, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/11542.