Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal
Abstract
Studies have shown that carnivores in captivity that are fed soft diets have more periodontal problems and that the morphology of their skeletons, skulls specifically, responds to environmental and behavior factors. Considering that captive diet affects teeth and gums, we have conducted research on Dr. Adam Hartstone-Rose’s hypothesis that variation will also be discernible through the examination of cranial morphology. We compared captive and wild lions Panthera leo and tigers Panthera tigris to see if differences were present, then analyzed data collected by a microscribe using a 3D morphometric analysis program. Next, Principal Component Analysis was completed to account for variation across eighty-one specimens, each with forty-three comparable landmarks. We found that captivity status is evident in felid cranial morphology and is even more pronounced than features of sexual dimorphism. The implications of this research could serve as possible bases for the reformation of captive diet. Thus, if a correlation between mechanical diet and detrimental effects on captive felids can be shown through research, measures to fix these may be taken.
Recommended Citation
Boyde, Bryttin and Selvey, Hannah
(2014)
"The Cranial Morphology of Large Wild versus Captive Felids,"
Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 3, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/caravel/vol3/iss1/3