The range of atlanto-occipital joint motion in cetaceans reflects their feeding behavior.

In this study, we examined 56 extant cetacean skeletal specimens from 30 species in 25 genera and nine families in order to investigate the relationships between anatomical traits and feeding behavior. Our results suggest that the range of dorso-ventral motion allowed by the atlanto-occipital joint (ROM) depends on prey habitat and the feeding technique of cetaceans. Cetaceans feeding on benthic/demersal prey had a relatively large ROM compared with those feeding on pelagic prey. In addition, ROM was largest in raptorial feeders, intermediate in suction feeders, and smallest in ram-filter feeders. Among raptorial feeders, ROM tended to be larger in taxa that facultatively tear off the prey's flesh compared with taxa that swallow their prey whole. Therefore, we conclude that ROM is a powerful tool to reliably reconstruct the feeding behavior of extinct cetacean taxa.
PMID: 31702831 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Journal of Anatomy - November 7, 2019 Category: Anatomy Authors: Okamura T, Fujiwara SI Tags: J Anat Source Type: research