Anatomy of the wolf’s cerebral skull (Canis lupus)

The skulls of animals of the same family have similar morphological features, but often the morphometric characteristics vary. The method of extraction and the nature of the food consumed have the greatest influence on the development of the skull bones. The common wolf is one of the largest representatives of the Canidae family. The purpose of the study is to study the structural features of the bones of the cerebral skull of the common wolf, to give a craniometric characteristic. The material for the study was four heads of the common wolf, obtained from hunting farms in the Leningrad region. The research was conducted at the Department of Animal Anatomy of the St. Petersburg State University of Veterinary Medicine. Classical craniometry and computed tomography were used in the study. During the study, specific features of the morphology of the bones of the wolf's cerebral skull were established: the occipital crest receives a powerful development, in the laterovental part of the scales there is a paired mastoid foramen, a condyle foramen of large diameter, a large occipital foramen of transverse oval shape (index 60.77); between the plates of the frontal bone there is an extensive frontal sinus ( sinus frontalis ), divided by a septum into two parts; on the basal surface of the sphenoid bone there is an oval foramen, a caudal foramen of the pterygoid canal, a round foramen, a rostral foramen of the pterygoid canal, an orbital fissure and an optic foramen; the latticed foramen is paired; in the articular apparatus of the temporal bone, the articular joint is significantly developed the process that bounds the articular fossa caudally; the bony tympanic vesicle is oval in shape, with clearly localized holes and crevices. The performed craniometry made it possible to classify the skull of the common wolf as mesocephalic type (CHI=52.19). The total length of the skull significantly prevails over its zygomatic width (1.92:1 ratio). At the same time, the dorsal length of the cerebral region slightly exceeds the length of the facial region (1.10 times), while the basal surface of the facial region, on the contrary, is significantly longer than the cerebral region (1.43 times). These proportions reflect adaptation to a predatory lifestyle.