Shape Variation of Linea Temporalis and Crista Nuchae in 81 Mesocephalic Dog Skulls

81 mesocephalic dog skulls from five functional groups were analyzed using 43 landmarks and semilandmarks. Geometric morphometric analyses revealed significant shape and size differences, with the first principal component explaining 34.945% of variation. The dataset, authored by Yasemin Üstündağ and last updated in 2026, highlights cranial adaptations linked to selective breeding.

Use Cases

• Classify dog skulls into functional groups based on landmark shape variation.
• Analyze the influence of size on cranial landmark morphology using regression.
• Compare shape variation in the parietal portion of the linea temporalis across breeds.
• Evaluate the distinctiveness of toy dog cranial morphology through cluster analysis.

Strengths

• Includes 81 three-dimensional skull models representing five distinct functional groups.
• Analysis is based on 43 precisely digitized landmarks and semilandmarks.
• Results include statistically significant findings for shape and size differences.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count for the underlying data is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is small at 166.5 KB, indicating a limited scope.

Provenance

Source

Yasemin Üstündağ via figshare.

Collection Method

Three-dimensional models from a prior study were used, with landmarks digitized for geometric morphometric analysis.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-19 17:28:20; freshness should be verified.