Morphological correlates of tough food consumption in large land carnivores

The use of geometric morphometrics in investigating morphological correlates of feeding habits in large land mammals was investigated. Mandibles of twenty-one species of to both living and extinct land carnivores, whose feeding habits Lire well established, were analyzed to investigate the correlation between mandible shape and diet type. Geometric morphometrics has a high predictive value in assessing mammalian diet, and therefore represents an important tool for investigating feeding habits in extinct mammals. By pooling living and extinct species, feeding habits of the latter can be readily determined.