Quantifying bite force in coexisting tayassuids and feral suids: a comparison between morphometric functional proxies and in vivo measurements.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Measuring mammals' bite force in laboratory conditions is not a simple task, let alone on wild medium-sized mammals in the field. Thus, morphometric-proxies are usually used to infer morphofunctional properties of musculoskeletal features. For instance, the study of bite force-indexes suggests that different capacities to crack food items reduce the competition between coexistent collared and white-lipped peccaries (Pecari tajacu and Tayassu pecari). The presence of exotic feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in peccaries' endemic areas gives rise to new ecological interactions between them. An example is the Brazilian Pantanal wetland, where ecomorphological mechanisms may play a role in their ecological relations. Taking this scenario as a case of study, we aim

SUBMITTER: Sicuro FL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8364746 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature