{"title":"Foramen ovale as a new determinative sign for the identification of tiger (Panthera tigris) and lion (Panthera leo) skulls","authors":"","doi":"10.1007/s42991-023-00388-x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Abstract</h3> <p>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 <em>foramen ovale</em> at the base of the skull. A total of 112 skulls were evaluated (55 tigers and 57 lions). The orientation and appearance of the <em>foramina ovalia</em> were analyzed on skull photographs. Significant differences were found between tigers and lions. In lions, the <em>foramina ovalia</em> faced laterally and their outlets were usually at least partially hidden behind the straight edge of the <em>os basisphenoidale</em> from the ventral view of the skull. In most adult tigers, the <em>foramina ovalia</em> faced more rostrally with their outlets visible and bounded by a semi-circular edge of the <em>os basisphenoidale</em>. However, tiger skulls exhibited higher variability in <em>foramina ovalia</em> orientation than lion skulls. Like other identifying features on tiger and lion skulls, the <em>foramen ovale</em> was unable to distinguish all skulls with 100% confidence. Nevertheless, knowledge of this structure can help considerably in species identification.</p>","PeriodicalId":1,"journal":{"name":"Accounts of Chemical Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":16.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Accounts of Chemical Research","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-023-00388-x","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
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.
期刊介绍:
Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance.
Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.