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Cross‐sectional geometric properties of the Otavipithecus mandible
Author(s) -
Schwartz Gary T.,
Conroy Glenn C.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(199604)99:4<613::aid-ajpa7>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - australopithecus , masticatory force , extant taxon , anatomy , cortical bone , mandible (arthropod mouthpart) , bite force quotient , biology , skull , moment of inertia , orthodontics , geology , evolutionary biology , genus , medicine , zoology , physics , ecology , quantum mechanics
Cross‐sectional geometric properties of the postcanine mandibular corpus are determined for the only known specimen of Otavipithecus namibiensis , a middle Miocene hominoid from southern Africa. It is shown that Otavipithecus is unique in that several important mechanical properties of its mandible, including maximum and minimum moments of inertia and distribution of cortical bone, differ from patterns seen in both extant hominoids and the early hominids Australopithecus africanus and Australopithecus (Paranthropus) robustus . This is particularly apparent in the mechanical design of the posterior portion of the mandibular corpus for resisting increased torsional and transverse bending moments. Cortical index values at the level of M 2 also reveal that both Otavipithecus and A. africanus are similarly designed to resist increased masticatory loads with relatively less cortical bone area, a highly efficient mechanical design. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.