Growth of craniofacial skeletons in rhesus monkeys and its relevance to bone reconstruction

Insight into the growth of craniofacial skeletons is important to our understanding of life history, ecology, adaptation and evolution in general, and to from rationale for reconstructing craniofacial bones in particular. This study applied a three‐dimensional method, Euclidean distance matrix analysis (EDMA), to investigate diachronic change in the size of craniofacial skeletons in rhesus monkey ( Macaca mulatta ) skulls from a true cross‐sectional skeletal collection in Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC), Puerto Rico. Results demonstrated different sex‐specific growth patterns, and the rate and duration of growth in anterior facial skeletons contributed most to the changing profiles of sexual dimorphism. It is interesting to note that the facial skeletons in female rhesus monkeys kept growing until into fully adulthood. The late maturation of the female facial skeleton in size corresponds to later and less complete fusion of facial sutures. The prolongation of growth in females might evolutionary responses to high levels of intrasexual competition. Specifically, this phenomenon suggests that patent sutures in adult animals maintain growth potentials, and these potentials could be employed or rejuvenated for the natural regeneration of craniofacial bones.