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A new discovery: Long faces – why does evolution do that?
08.01.2024 16:10
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:21
Horses have long faces because they can, according to evolutionary biologists.
Large mammals often have longer faces compared to their smaller relatives due to adaptations for feeding.
The team of scientists from Flinders University and The University of Adelaide wanted to understand the cause of this pattern.
How it was discovered
Scientists discovered that the size of an animal's face is related to its feeding habits.
Bigger animals naturally have stronger bites because their skull, teeth, and jaw muscles are larger.
Smaller mammals need to have strong bites to chew the same food as their larger relatives.
Shorter faces allow for more bite force, similar to how gripping barbecue tongs closer to their tips gives a stronger grip.
It doesn't happen all the time
However, larger mammals do not require short faces for successful feeding because they already have naturally strong bites.
Instead, larger species' skulls can adapt to have longer faces when there are advantages to doing so.
Exceptions to the pattern occur when there is a radical change in diet between smaller and larger mammals.
The evolution of the human face is likely influenced by factors other than biting, as humans use their hands and tools for obtaining food and can soften it through cooking.
Previously, we talked about bird extinction.
