 Reference Base  Mandible of the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhino... |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Location: |
Asia - South Asia - India - Assam |
| Subject: |
Morphology - Skull |
| Species: |
Indian Rhino |
 |
|
Rhinoceros unicornis, Kaziranga, Assam, India (n=7). The skull has the form of an irregular triangle, the base of which is caudal.
Dorsal surface, is formed by occipital, interparietal, parietal, frontal and nasal bones. Interparietal bone was fused in adults. The dorsal surface wasdivided in three regions: parietal, frontal and nsal. The parietal region extends from the squamous part of the ocvcipital bone to the parietofrontal suture. This region ws located in between the external sagittal crist. The frontal region was the most extensive. The paired frontal bones were interposed between the parietal bones caudally and nasal bones rostrally. The profile of the frontal regionm is triangular and slightly concave. On either side of naso-frontal suture, two tuverosities can be noticed. The zygomatic process of the frontal bone is completely absent. However, the tuberosity mentioned before might be the rudimentary zygomatic process. The supra-orbital foramen is absent. The supra-orbital groove is absent. The nasal region is sharply concave due to the presence of a rough bony protuberance at the centre of the nasal bone which formed the highest point of the skull. Such protuberance on the nasal sutue was represented by a shallow groove.
Nuchal or occipital surface. This is formed mainly by squamous and lateral parts of the occipital bone, together witha narrow strip of temporal bone on either side. The nuchal surface is separated from the dorsal surface by the nuchal crest. Just below the nuchal crest, squamous part of the occipital bone presents external occipital protuberance, on either side of which was a deep fossa. Between the protuberance and the foramen magnum was the external occipital crest which could be considered as the downward continuation of the external occipital protuberance.
In the lateral part of the occipital bone, massive occipital condyles are found, one on either side of the foramen magnum. The dorsal and ventral margins of the foramen magnum were notched. Both the width and height of the foramen measured 6 to 7 cm. Lateral to the occipital condyle there was a paracondylar process.
|
|
|
File available
details
Original text on this topic: