title: Biology of the rice rat (Oryzomys palustris natator) in a laboratory environment. IX. Preweaning growth of the skull.
abstract: The pattern of skull growth of the rice rat (Oryzomys palustris natator) over the pre-weaning period of development reveals a characteristic triphasic outline which stems, in part, from the interplay of the external environment and the genetic endowment. Within the triphasic spectrum the neural skull growth exhibits an accelerated rate of growth during the early phases which eventually reverses to a rapid deceleration in the final phase. In contrast, the facial skull growth shows increased growth rate following the decline of the neural group, eventually reaching a slow linear deceleration. Thus the neural components appear to be synchronised to the brain growth while the facial elements gain a new and greater impetus following the neural decline. The general growth of the skull throughout these changes, i.e. triphasic and neural/facial, continues to show a basic slow linear increase.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory / Q000254:growth & development*; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008445:Maxillofacial Development; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012377:Rodentia / Q000254:growth & development*; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D014886:Weaning