The mammalian cranium (skull without lower jaw) is representative of mammalian diversity
and is thus of particular interest to mammalian biologists across disciplines. One widely …

Interdisciplinary research has benefitted the fields of anthropology and engineering for
decades: a classic example being the application of material science to the field of feeding …

How ecological opportunity relates to diversification is a central question in evolutionary
biology. However, there are few empirical examples of how ecological opportunity and …

Morphological diversity may arise rapidly as a result of adaptation to novel ecological
opportunities, but early bursts of trait evolution are rarely observed. Rather, models of …

The origin and radiation of mammals are key events in the history of life, with fossils placing
the origin at 220 million years ago, in the Late Triassic period. The earliest mammals …

In vertebrates, bite force is a measure of whole organism performance that is associated with
both cranial morphology and dietary ecology. Mechanistic studies of bite force production …

The wide range of dietary niches filled by modern mammals is reflected in morphological
diversity of the feeding apparatus. Despite volumes of data on the biomechanics of feeding …

Measurements of whole-organism performance traits have been useful in studies of
adaptation and phenotype–environment correlations. Bite force capacities may be tightly …

Summary 1 Bite force is an important performance measure for vertebrate and is related to a
variety of ecological challenges. Phyllostomid bats present highly diversified feeding habits …

Bite forces play a key role in animal ecology: they affect mating behaviour, fighting success,
and the ability to feed. Although feeding habits of arthropods have a significant ecological …