Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bingöl University, Bingöl,Türkiye
2
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Türkiye
3
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Burdur Mehmet Akif University, Burdur, Türkiye
4
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Harran University, , Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
5
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Harran University, Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
10.30466/vrf.2026.2089277.5092
Abstract
The occipital region plays a critical functional role in the cranio-cervical junction through its involvement in head carriage, articulation with the atlas, muscle attachments, and balance control. Despite extensive research on canine cranial morphology, potential shape differences in the occipital region related to functional use have not been sufficiently investigated. The present study aimed to evaluate three-dimensional shape variation in the occipital region of mesocephalic dog skulls according to functional categories (hunting, guarding, shepherd/herding) using geometric morphometric methods. A total of 64 skull models were analyzed using 11 anatomical landmarks digitized on three-dimensional .stl files. Following Procrustes superimposition, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Procrustes ANOVA, regression analysis, and Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) were performed. PC1 and PC2 explained 23.715% and 13.676% of total shape variation, respectively. While Procrustes ANOVA revealed a significant difference in centroid size (p=0.0191), no statistically significant difference in shape was detected (p=0.2069). Regression analysis demonstrated a significant effect of size on occipital shape (p<0.0002), indicating that allometry is the primary determinant of variation. DFA results showed high misclassification rates (41.6–47.7%), further supporting the absence of distinct functional grouping. These findings suggest that the occipital bone and foramen magnum morphology in mesocephalic dogs are not significantly differentiated according to functional use. Instead, variation appears to be predominantly associated with allometric scaling and overall cranial size rather than specific task-related adaptations. The results emphasize the importance of considering multifactorial developmental and evolutionary influences when evaluating occipital morphology in domestic dogs.
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