Abstract
Pocket gophers of the tribe Geomyini are subdivided into three groups according to cranial morphology. Merriam (1895) stated that the mode of mastication corresponds to gross skull shape, with generalized and dolichocephalic forms chewing propalinally and platycephalic forms chewing obliquely. To test these conclusions, we examined different dental and cranial features from those used by Merriam in examples of the three skull types. Dental evidence (tooth scar orientation and alignment of teeth and enamel blades) indicates that propalinal chewing characterizes all three skull types; this conclusion is contrary to that inferred from differences in cranial morphology. We suggest that discordance of these two lines of evidence reflects the dual role in pocket gophers of masticatory and fossorial adaptations in determining the shape of the skull.
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