The hemimandibles in carnivorans may be united in various ways at the symphysis menti. The symphysis may contain a readily flexible joint that permits a moderate amount of independent movement of the hemimandibles. This type of symphyseal union is primitive for and widely distributed in extant carnivorans. In other carnivorans, the symphysis is patent but allows slight or essentially no independent movement of the hemimandibles. Finally, the hemimandibles may be rigidly united by synostosis of the symphysis. The morphology, movement and, insofar as possible, function of these types of symphyses are described.

The anatomy and physiology of feeding in miniature swine were studied, using gross dissection, electromyography, cinematography, and cineradiography.Small particles are preferred for ingestion, and large items are usually broken down outside of the oral cavity. The particles are initially picked up with the lower lip and then retrieved by the tongue; the tongue very rarely leaves the oral cavity. Geniohyoid, mylohyoid and digastric are the most active muscles during food collection.Mastication is fairly rapid (3 cycleslsec) and involves a transverse component which may be either medially or laterally directed. The direction of motion is generally reversed with every chew. Electromyography indicates that the transverse rotation is caused by a force couple consisting of protrusors (masseter, medial and lateral pterygoids) on one side and retrusors (zygomaticomandibularis and temporalis) on the other. The direction of the rotation is not necessarily related to the side containing the bolus. Mandibular depression is electromyographically biphasic. Concurrent tongue and hyoid movements complicate the interpretation of activity patterns in the oral floor.Both masticated food and liquid are stored between the tongue and the soft palate and epiglottis before being swallowed. Swallowing involves very strong activity in all of the hyoid and tongue muscles and very low activity in the adductors. Liquid is taken in by suction rather than lapping.Comparisons with other mammals are presented.

The dog mandible has three jointstwo temporomandibular and one symphyseal joint. In studies of jaws and their mechanics usually only the temporomandibular joints are considered. The symphysis is consistently neglected and because of this, remarkable features of the temporomandibular joints have never been noted.The symphysis has special connective tissue arrangements and its own vascular and nerve supply. Along the anterosuperior part of the symphysis, a strip of fibrocartilage intervenes between the bony articulating plates. Below and posterior to the fibrocartilage, and running more or less parallel to it, strong cruciate ligaments bind the symphyseal plates together. Small arteries run into the symphyseal joint and it is drained by an anastornosing venous plexus. The posterior, ligamentous, portion is laced with a profuse network of nerves.The temporomandibular joint is unusual in that its joint disc is powerfully anchored to the skull medially and to the outer pole of the mandibular condyle laterally.The temporomandibular joint disc thus acts as a ligament that halts lateral movement of the condyle just as the carnassial teeth are aligned for cutting function. As the mandible moves laterally, the space between the posterior ends of the symphyseal plates widens: at the same time i t narrows anteriorly. The cruciate ligaments control this movement and stabilize the symphyseal joint by preventing direct lateral displacement of the symphyseal plates. The fibrocartilage cushions this movement and also mediates rotational movements about the longitudinal axis of the mandible when crushing molar teeth come into function.J. MORPH., 116: 23-50.