Jaw-Muscle Structure and Function in Primates: Insights Into Muscle Performance and Feeding-System Behaviors

Abstract

The jaw-adductor muscles drive the movements and forces associated with primate feeding behaviors such as biting and chewing as well as social signaling behaviors such as wide-mouth canine display. The past several decades have seen a rise in research aimed at the anatomy and physiology of primate chewing muscles to better understand the functional and evolutionary significance of the primate masticatory apparatus. This review summarizes variation in jaw-adductor fiber types and muscle architecture in primates, focusing on physiological, architectural, and behavioral performance variables such as specific tension, fatigue resistance, muscle and bite force, and muscle stretch and gape. Paranthropus and Australopithecus are used as one paleontological example to showcase the importance of these data for addressing paleobiological questions. The high degree of morphological variation related to sex, age, muscle, and species suggests future research should bracket ranges of performance variables rather than focus on single estimates of performance.