Pinniped Craniofacial Musculature Provides Insight on Its Role in Aquatic Feeding
Published:08 Nov.2021 Source:Baylor University
‘I’m fascinated by how animals feed underwater,’ Kienle said. ‘Mammals that have reinvaded the marine environment -- whales, dolphins, pinnipeds, sea otters and polar bears -- are all carnivores that have converged on the same feeding strategies when entering the water environment. You’re also getting the repeated evolution of suction feeding and filter feeding. It’s pretty amazing to see these independent lineages all converging on similar feeding strategies -- suction feeding, biting and filter feeding.’
Kienle recently led a study, published in the Journal of Anatomy, comparing pinniped craniofacial musculature and its potential role in aquatic feeding. ‘I was interested in looking at how these different facial muscles potentially play a role in different aquatic feeding strategies. I was looking at the skull morphology to see if there were morphological specializations for feeding and that automatically led to the question of what do the muscles look like?’ Kienle said.