The feeding apparatus of Caiman crocodilus; a functional-morphological study.

A functional morphological study on the cranio-facial region of Caiman crocodilus was carried out. The anatomy of the skull, mandible, cartilaginous structures and the muscles of the jaw was described. Myography experiments, an X-ray study and observations of behaviour gave insight into the sequence of actions during food-intake. Evidence has been obtained that the cartilago transiliens, attached to the medial side of the mandible, is used to block the jaws relative to each other. For each food-intake action, the amount of material necessary to resist muscle force was calculated. Integration of these figures, together with a consideration on the lines of stress, resulted in a paradigm for the mandible.