Foramen ovale as a new determinative sign for the identification of tiger (Panthera tigris) and lion (Panthera leo) skulls

IF 1.9 4区生物学 Q1 ZOOLOGY Mammalian Biology Pub Date : 2024-01-05 DOI:10.1007/s42991-023-00388-x

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Abstract

Tiger and lion bones are valued highly on the wildlife black market. The skeletons of the two species are very similar, but the level of protection and the laws applicable to them differ. When detecting crime in the field, it can be crucial to recognize the skeletons of these two species by their morphological features. A distinguishing feature neglected in practice is the foramen ovale at the base of the skull. A total of 112 skulls were evaluated (55 tigers and 57 lions). The orientation and appearance of the foramina ovalia were analyzed on skull photographs. Significant differences were found between tigers and lions. In lions, the foramina ovalia faced laterally and their outlets were usually at least partially hidden behind the straight edge of the os basisphenoidale from the ventral view of the skull. In most adult tigers, the foramina ovalia faced more rostrally with their outlets visible and bounded by a semi-circular edge of the os basisphenoidale. However, tiger skulls exhibited higher variability in foramina ovalia orientation than lion skulls. Like other identifying features on tiger and lion skulls, the foramen ovale was unable to distinguish all skulls with 100% confidence. Nevertheless, knowledge of this structure can help considerably in species identification.

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卵圆孔是鉴定虎（Panthera tigris）和狮（Panthera leo）头骨的新决定性标志

摘要虎骨和狮骨在野生动物黑市上价值不菲。这两个物种的骨骼非常相似，但适用的保护级别和法律却不同。在野外侦查犯罪时，通过形态特征识别这两个物种的骨骼至关重要。在实践中被忽视的一个识别特征是头骨底部的卵圆孔。我们共评估了 112 个头骨（55 个老虎头骨和 57 个狮子头骨）。通过头骨照片分析了卵圆孔的方向和外观。发现老虎和狮子之间存在显著差异。狮子的卵圆孔朝向侧面，从头骨的腹面看，其出口通常至少有一部分隐藏在基底蝶骨直边的后面。在大多数成年虎的头骨中，卵圆孔朝向喙侧，其出口清晰可见，并以脑基底的半圆形边缘为界。不过，与狮子头骨相比，老虎头骨中卵圆孔朝向的变化更大。与老虎和狮子头骨上的其他识别特征一样，卵圆孔也无法以 100% 的可信度区分所有头骨。不过，了解这一结构对物种鉴定有很大帮助。

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来源期刊

Mammalian Biology 生物-动物学

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

12.50%

发文量

127

审稿时长

10.1 weeks

期刊介绍： Mammalian Biology (formerly Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde) is an international scientific journal edited by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde (German Society for Mammalian Biology). The journal is devoted to the publication of research on mammals. Its scope covers all aspects of mammalian biology, such as anatomy, morphology, palaeontology, taxonomy, systematics, molecular biology, physiology, neurobiology, ethology, genetics, reproduction, development, evolutionary biology, domestication, ecology, wildlife biology and diseases, conservation biology, and the biology of zoo mammals.