About This Project

The neck is involved in most everyday behaviors. Still, we do not understand how specific behaviors shape neck anatomy. I will study this connection between behavior and anatomy by examining the bones of primates that use their necks in specific ways. "Tree-gougers" damage trees using their teeth. Here I will study their neck bones to identify features useful for stabilization. This information will allow us to better interpret the kinds of behaviors for which our own necks evolved.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The neck is involved in most everyday activities, a fact that is well-known to anyone who has suffered from neck pain. Despite the neck's involvement in behaviors from looking left and right to picking up objects from the ground, we still don't have a clear understanding of how the bones that support the neck actually respond to different behaviors. In particular, we are unsure how the shapes of these neck bones (called vertebrae) reflect adaptations for particular functions or behaviors.

What is the significance of this project?

To understand the relationship between behavior and vertebral shape in humans, we need to study a variety of nonhuman species. In particular, we need to examine species that place unique behavioral demands on their necks. For example, by studying species that have unique postures or diets, we can determine if these behaviors are associated with particular vertebral shapes. Discovering the links between behavior and neck shapes in living species allows us to better interpret the fossil record; we can apply the findings to fossils and reconstruct exactly how the extinct species must have behaved during their lifetimes. We can even examine the fossils of our human ancestors to determine how their specific behaviors led the necks that we have today.

What are the goals of the project?

I am interested in the neck vertebrae of "tree-gouging" primates. Tree-gougers use their teeth and heads to damage the outside of trees and eat the gum or sap that flows out (as seen in this video). In this project, I will address a new and exciting question: what is the role of the neck in gouging species during this specialized dietary behavior? Observations of primates that are gouging suggests that their necks are being used to stabilize and pull the head backwards. Therefore, I predict that the tree-gougers will display vertebral features for stabilizing and forcefully bending their necks. These special adaptations should allow them to gouge more efficiently. To test for these differences, I will compare the bony anatomy of neck vertebrae in gouging and nongouging primate species.