Skulls are wonderful works of nature.  With them the animal senses its environment, communicates, feeds and defends itself.  Throughout the life of an animal its skull continuously changes proportions and appearance.  Some scientists may even consider skulls as ever-changing works of art.

Like the pages of a book may be read to reveal the life of a man, so may a skull be "read" to reveal the lifestyle of the animal.  Much can be found out about an animal and its life from the structure of its skull and teeth-from what the animal ate to whether it was the predator or the prey, to how it defended itself. Below are listed a few basic principals that scientists often use when studying skulls.  These principals help them better understand and classify animals.

TEETH: The type, shape and number of teeth an animal has determines its diet.   Consequently, knowing the type of teeth that an animal has will enable you to determine its diet.  For example, many flesh-eaters have cheek teeth that are shaped like long shearing blades.  These sharp teeth, called carnassial teeth, are used to cut and chew off chunks of meat.  When scientists see this type of tooth, they know the animal was a flesh-eating carnivore (such as the tiger).  Animals that have tall molar teeth with flat upper surfaces are often herbivorous grazers (such as the horse).   Wide molar teeth with low bumpy crowns often suggest omnivorous animals (eat both plants and animals).  Examples of omnivores include pigs, bears and man.

JAW ATTACHMENT TO SKULL:  The manner in which the lower jaw attaches to the skull also suggests something about the diet, or at least about how that diet is chewed.   Carnivores have tight jaw attachments to the skull allowing for up and down jaw movements but little side to side movement.  This up and down jaw movement emphasizes the cutting function of the carnassial teeth.  Animals with jaws that can move from side to side, like the beaver, tend to eat tough fibrous plants.  This type of food must be crushed and broken down before it is swallowed.  This side to side motion aids in the grinding food.

EYE LOCATION:  What do the eye sockets tell you about the animal?  Eye sockets that are very large in relation to the size of the animal may suggest a nocturnal animal that is active at night.  The eye socket is bigger to accommodate a larger eyeball that evolved from the need for increased vision at night.  Eyes that face forward on the skull suggest binocular or stereoscopic vision.  This type of vision allows for excellent depth perception that is needed by predators to hunt and catch their prey.  Cats and owls have forward facing eyes that enable these predators to judge the distance between them and their prey before pouncing on it.  Monkeys also have forward facing eyes that give them the depth perception needed to swing and leap from tree branch to another.

An animal with eyes located on the side of its head has increased peripheral or side vision.  This enables the animal to see predators approaching from the sides, as well as from behind.  Many animals that are considered prey animals (those animals hunted by predators) have developed eyes located on the sides of their heads.  Examples of prey animals include many herbivorous (plant-eating) animals such as rabbits, deer and cattle.  These animals use their excellent peripheral vision to protect themselves from predators while grazing.

Predator and Prey rhyme:
    Eyes in the front, the animal hunts (Predator)
    Eyes in the side, the animal hides (Prey)

HORNS OR ANTLERS:

Horns or antlers found on a skull bear evidence of how the animal defended itself, won mates and communicated.  Animals can protect themselves or attack the animals by gouging them with their horns or antlers.

Horns are permanent structures that are retained year after year.  Both male and female bovid animals may have horns.  Antlers are temporary and are shed each year.   With the exception of female caribou, only male deer have antlers.  The massive, tightly curled horns of the mountain sheep and the heavy horns of the muskox are used in ritual combat when males fight for females.