IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Weissengruber, G.E.; Forstenpointner, G.; Peters, G.; Kubber-Heiss, A.; Fitch, W.T. | |
| Hyoid apparatus and pharynx in the lion, jaguar, tiger, cheetah, and domestic cat | |
| 2002 Journal of Anatomy (201): 195-209 | |
Structures of the hyoid apparatus, the pharynx and their topographical positions in the lion, tiger, jaguar, cheetah and domestic cat were described in order to determine morphological differences between species or subfamilies of the Felidae. In the lion, tiger and jaguar (species of the subfamily Pantherinae) the _Epihyoideum _is an elastic ligament lying between the lateral pharyngeal muscles and the _Musculus _(_M_.) _thyroglossus _rather than a bony element like in the cheetah or the domestic cat. The _M. thyroglossus _was only present in the species of the Pantherinae studied. In the lion and the jaguar the _Thyrohyoideum _and the thyroid cartilage are connected by an elastic ligament, whereas in the tiger there is a synovial articulation. In adult individuals of the lion, tiger and jaguar the ventral end of the tympanohyal cartilage is rotated and therefore the ventral end of the attached _Stylohyoideum _lies caudal to the _Tympanohyoideum _and the cranial base. In newborn jaguars the _Apparatus hyoideus _shows a similar topographical position as in adult cheetahs or domestic cats. In adult Pantherinae, the _Basihyoideum _and the attached larynx occupy a descended position: they are situated near the cranial thoracic aperture, the pharyngeal wall and the soft palate are caudally elongated accordingly. In the Pantherinae examined the caudal end of the soft palate lies dorsal to the glottis. Differences in these morphological features between the subfamilies of the Felidae have an influence on specific structural characters of their vocalizations. |
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