The functional significance of variation in jaw form in orangutans
The functional significance of variation in jaw form in orangutans
The African apes as an ecogeographic model
African apes and orangutans experience temporal and spatial fluctuations in fruit availability with similar behavioral consequences. Relying on the African apes as a comparative ecogeographic model, this chapter examines jaw form among Pongo pygmaeus morio, P.p. wurmbii, and P. abelii to determine if these populations differ predictably in ways that reflect their ecological profiles. Pongo p. morio is characterized by the longest lean fruiting periods and relies to the greatest extent on resistant and hard foods. These orangutans are found to exhibit the relatively most robust mandible, and thus display the relatively greatest capacity to counter large and repetitive jaw loads. Pongo abelii, which maintains a fruit-dominated diet even in times of fruit scarcity, displays the relatively least robust mandible. Orangutans are further shown to display a relationship between variance in energy intake, feeding efficacy, and relative brain size, suggesting a link among morphological divergence, behavioral ecology, and life history.
Keywords: orangutans, African apes, jaw form, mandible, fruit availability, resistant foods, hard foods, energy, brain size, life history
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
