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Alec Wilken Project ID: 00000C795 Public
0 Media ยท Managed by: Casey Holliday

Many vertebrates exhibit cranial kinesis, or movement between bones of the skull other than at the jaw joint. Many kinetic species possess a particular suite of features to accomplish this movement, including flexible cranial joints and protractor musculature. Whereas the skeletal anatomy of these kinetic systems is well understood, how these joints are biomechanically loaded, how different soft tissues affect joint loading and kinetic capacity, and how the protractor musculature loads the skull remain poorly understood. Here we developed a Finite Element Model of the savannah monitor, Varanus exanthematicus, a modestly kinetic lizard, to better elucidate the roles of soft tissue in mobile joints and protractor musculature on cranial loading. We described the 3D resultants of jaw muscles and histology of palatobasal, otic and jaw joints. We tested the effects of joint tissue types, bite point, and muscle loads to evaluate the biomechanical role of muscles have on the palate and braincase. We found the jaw muscles have significant mediolateral components and resultants that can impart stability across palatocranial joints. We found articular tissues affect the magnitude of strains experienced across the palatobasal and otic joints. We found that without protractor muscle loading, the palate, quadrate and braincase experience higher strains suggesting this muscle helps insulate the braincase and palatoquadrate from high loads. Finally, we found the cross-sectional properties of the bones of Varanus exanthematicus is well suited for performing under torsional loads. These findings suggest that torsion may be a significant driver in the evolution of cranial kinesis in lepidosaurs.

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