Morphological Variation and Craniofacial Allometry in Feliform Carnivorans
Jack Tseng, Professor
Integrative Biology
Applications for Fall 2024 are closed for this project.
With over 260 recognized extant species, the order Carnivora is one of the most diverse mammalian groups today, with a history tracing back approximately 60 million years. Crown carnivorans are divided into two suborders: Feliformia (cats, genets, hyenas, mongooses, etc.) and Caniformia (dogs, bears, raccoons, weasels, skunks, seals, etc.). Despite the term 'Carnivora' suggesting a strictly carnivorous diet, living carnivorans have evolved a wide range of dietary and ecological adaptations.
Among the evolutionary trends shaping phenotypic diversity over macroevolutionary scales, Craniofacial Evolutionary Allometry (CREA) describes a tendency among closely related species for smaller individuals to have proportionally shorter face and larger braincases. Previous studies have shown that CREA is supported within two caniform families (canids and mustelids) and one feliform family (herpestids) but not in felids. Feliforms generally exhibit a shorter face than caniforms, but the reasons and drivers behind why felids deviate from the CREA pattern remain unknown. A large-scale study quantifying allometry in both fossil and living feliforms might provide the key to answering this question.
Role: Students involved in this project will use 3D geometric morphometrics to quantify the cranial shape of living and extinct feliform carnivorans. They will gain experience in handling 3D models, landmarking, and potentially some basic CT segmentation using 3D Slicer.
Qualifications: The ideal candidates should have an interest in paleontology, evolutionary biology, anatomy, or a related field, with a focus on vertebrate morphology. Prior experience with landmarking and/or 3D models is desirable but not required.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Narimane Chatar, Post-Doc
Hours: 3-5 hrs
Biological & Health Sciences