Alligator paranasal & middle-ear sinuses + brain

3D Model

3D visualization by WitmerLab research associate Ryan Ridgely of the skull, paranasal air sinuses, nasal airway, tympanic (middle-ear) air sinuses, and brain endocast in a head of Alligator mississippiensis (OUVC 9761) based on CT scanning. This specimen was published in in 2008: Witmer, L. M. and R. C. Ridgely. 2008. The paranasal air sinuses of predatory and armored dinosaurs (Archosauria: Theropoda and Ankylosauria) and their contribution to cephalic architecture. Anatomical Record 291:1362–1388 – http://bit.ly/2JLIC14. See also the Visible Interactive Alligator: http://bit.ly/2TwmXiP. The 3D models & CT scan data are freely available for non-coommerical use on MorphoSource: https://bit.ly/3tDRATS.

Key: nasal airway (yellow), postvestibular sinus (light blue), antorbital sinus (green), olfactory region (light purple), prefrontal sinus (dark blue), brain endocast (medium blue), tympanic sinuses (mint green)