NANFA-- skull ID (while i happen to be cramming for a Vert Bio test

Ashton, Matthew J. (AshtonMJ_at_hiram.edu)
Sun, 9 Feb 2003 16:26:33 -0500

I agree with robert. This is most likely a pelvic girdle from a larger bird or
what is called the Synsacrum. I say this esepecially because of the third
picture which shows a cross section of what can be seen as the Centrum of the
vertebral column. In this region of birds they have gone through a development
in which they fuse their vertebral column to the pelvic girdle for flight
reasons. What one would typically think of as a vertebral shape is no longer
the case in this region it is solid bone. Especially that circular region.
nothing in the head region is that shape of bone or style of bone that is
almost wihtout a doubt centrum. what is shown as the "eye socket" is extremely
too large to be an eye socket. this area would only be intervated by a small
cranial nerve and minimal muslce if it were the optic cavity and would not be
this large. Skulls of fish and vertebrates of the like that feed in a method
not of chewing but bring the food into the mouth and pining it or crushing it
(think of how a gar brings in a large fish down the row of teeth) have VERY
little modification to the skull in the form of cavities for muscle attachment
because they do not need it. The eye socket is more likely the hip socket. the
second socket is what is called the Acetabulum. Again the eye socket is what
is the Illioishidaic foramen (hip socket). The 'single bone' that runs
dorsally also in no ways is a maxilla, pallet bone. The ventral view is the
only one that slightly resembles a jaw of a fish. im reading a few Vert books
now so ill get back to this.
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