New evidence for the craniocervical killing bite in primates

King, Glenn E.; Steklis, Horst D.

doi:10.1016/s0047-2484(84)80001-9

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One explanation for linked changes in laryngeal position and facial form in PWDs, and by extension possibly also in other species, including humans, could involve developmental and evolutionary integration of programmes governing the hyo-laryngeal complex and cranio-facial anatomy to coordinate critical functional tasks such as breathing, swallowing, feeding, vocalizing, and fighting (King & Steklis, 1984;Wake & Roth, 1989;Nishimura et al 2006;Lieberman, 2008;Morris & Brandt, 2014). Some of these functions are sexually dimorphic, for example fighting and hunting (Morris & Brandt, 2014), which likely contributed to the sexual differences in the linked changes between laryngeal position and skull shape.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cranio‐facial remodeling in domestic dogs is associated with changes in larynx position

et al. 2016

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The hyo-laryngeal complex is a multi-segmented structure integrating the oral and pharyngeal cavities and thus a variety of critical functions related to airway control, feeding, and vocal communication. Currently, we lack a complete understanding of how the hyoid complex, and the functions it mediates, can also be affected by changes in surrounding cranio-facial dimensions. Here, we explore these relationships in a breed of domestic dog, the Portuguese Water Dog, which is characterized by strong cranio-facial variation. We used radiographic images of the upper body and head of 55 adult males and 51 adult females to obtain detailed measures of cranio-facial variation and hyoid anatomy. Principal components analysis revealed multiple orthogonal dimensions of cranio-facial variation, some of which were associated with significant differences in larynx position: the larynx occupied a more descended position in individuals with shorter, broader faces than in those with longer, narrower faces. We then tested the possibility that caudal displacement of the larynx in brachycephalic individuals might reflect a degree of tongue crowding resulting from facial shortening and reduction of oral and pharyngeal spaces. A cadaver sample was used to obtain detailed measurements of constituent bones of the hyoid skeleton and of the tongue body, and their relationships to cranio-facial size and shape and overall body size supported the tongue-crowding hypothesis. Considering the presence of descended larynges in numerous mammalian taxa, our findings establish an important precedent for the possibility that laryngeal descent can be initiated, and even sustained, in part in response to remodeling of the face and cranium for selective pressures unrelated to vocal production. These integrated changes could also have been involved in hominin evolution, where the different laryngeal positions in modern humans compared with nonhuman primates have been traditionally linked to the evolution of speech but which are likely to be multifactorial.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cranio‐facial remodeling in domestic dogs is associated with changes in larynx position

et al. 2016

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“…Although it remains challenging for primatologists to record an actual moment of death, extensive records spanning decades exist for cases of infanticide (see Appendix S1 and S3). The primary mode of death in these cases is often a cranio‐cervical bite (King & Steklis, , ), leaving visible wounds to the head and spine region. Infanticide is of particular interest because ( i ) it affords a contextual cue (a causal chain of events leading to the death of the infant witnessed by the mother and other group members); and ( ii ) it offers strong sensory death cues (i.e.…”

Section: Primate Thanatology: Contemporary Reportsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Death among primates: a critical review of non‐human primate interactions towards their dead and dying

2019

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For the past two centuries, non-human primates have been reported to inspect, protect, retrieve, carry or drag the dead bodies of their conspecifics and, for nearly the same amount of time, sparse scientific attention has been paid to such behaviours. Given that there exists a considerable gap in the fossil and archaeological record concerning how early hominins might have interacted with their dead, extant primates may provide valuable insight into how and in which contexts thanatological behaviours would have occurred. First, we outline a comprehensive history of comparative thanatology in non-human primates, from the earliest accounts to the present, uncovering the interpretations of previous researchers and their contributions to the field of primate thanatology. Many of the typical behavioural patterns towards the dead seen in the past are consistent with those observed today. Second, we review recent evidence of thanatological responses and organise it into distinct terminologies: direct interactions (physical contact with the corpse) and secondary interactions (guarding the corpse, vigils and visitations). Third, we provide a critical evaluation regarding the form and function of the behavioural and emotional aspects of these responses towards infants and adults, also comparing them with non-conspecifics. We suggest that thanatological interactions: promote a faster re-categorisation from living to dead, decrease costly vigilant/caregiving behaviours, are crucial to the management of grieving responses, update position in the group's hierarchy, and accelerate the formation of new social bonds. Fourth, we propose an integrated model of Life-Death Awareness, whereupon neural circuitry dedicated towards detecting life, i.e. the agency system (animate agency, intentional agency, mentalistic agency) works with a corresponding system that interacts with it on a decision-making level (animate/inanimate distinction, living/dead discrimination, death awareness). Theoretically, both systems are governed by specific cognitive mechanisms (perceptual categories, associative concepts and high-order reasoning, respectively). Fifth, we present an evolutionary timeline from rudimentary thanatological responses likely occurring in earlier non-human primates during the Eocene to the more elaborate mortuary practices attributed to genus Homo throughout the Pleistocene. Finally, we discuss the importance of detailed reports on primate thanatology and propose several empirical avenues to shed further light on this topic. This review expands and builds upon previous attempts to evaluate the body of knowledge on this subject, providing an integrative perspective and bringing together different fields of research to detail the evolutionary, sensory/cognitive, developmental and historical/archaeological aspects of primate thanatology. Considering all these findings and given their cognitive abilities, we argue that non-human primates are capable of an implicit awareness of death.

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“…The predominance of this killing method led Videan et al [138] to comment on the deliberateness of the act. The ontogenetic emergence of the 'craniocervical killing bite' in various predatory species including primates [153] merits further study, as does the development of killing (or stunning) larger prey by flailing them against a hard substrate [11,137].…”

Section: (C) Causalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Chimpanzees and death

Anderson¹

2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Information about responses to death in nonhuman primates is important for evolutionary thanatology. This paper reviews the major causes of death in chimpanzees, and how these apes respond to cues related to dying and death. Topics covered include disease, human activities, predation, accidents and intra-species aggression and cannibalism. Chimpanzees also kill and sometimes eat other species. It is argued that, given their cognitive abilities, their experiences of death in conspecifics and other species are likely to equip chimpanzees with an understanding of death as cessation of function and irreversible. Whether they might understand that death is inevitable-including their own death, and biological causes of death is also discussed. As well as gathering more fundamental information about responses to dying and death, researchers should pay attention to possible cultural variations in how great apes deal with death.This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary thanatology: impacts of the dead on the living in humans and other animals'.

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New evidence for the craniocervical killing bite in primates

Cited by 5 publications

References 18 publications

Cranio‐facial remodeling in domestic dogs is associated with changes in larynx position

Cranio‐facial remodeling in domestic dogs is associated with changes in larynx position

Death among primates: a critical review of non‐human primate interactions towards their dead and dying

Chimpanzees and death

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