Opening in the skull in front of the eye sockets, largely associated with archosauriforms
An antorbital fenestra (plural: fenestrae) is an opening in the skull that is in front of the eye sockets. This skull character is largely associated with archosauriforms, first appearing during the Triassic Period. Among extant archosaurs, birds still possess antorbital fenestrae, whereas crocodylians have lost them. The loss in crocodylians is believed to be related to the structural needs of their skulls for the bite force and feeding behaviours that they employ.[1][2] In some archosaur species, the opening has closed but its location is still marked by a depression, or fossa, on the surface of the skull called the antorbital fossa.
The antorbital fenestra houses a paranasal sinus that is confluent with the adjacent nasal capsule.[3] Although crocodylians walled over their antorbital fenestra, they still retain an antorbital sinus.[3]
In theropod dinosaurs, the antorbital fenestra is the largest opening in the skull. Systematically, the presence of the antorbital fenestra is considered a synapomorphy that unites tetanuran theropods as a clade. In contrast, most ornithischian dinosaurs reduce and even close their antorbital fenestrae[3] such as in hadrosaurs and the dinosaur genus Protoceratops. This closure distinguishes Protoceratops from other ceratopsian dinosaurs.[4]
^Preushscoft, H., Witzel, U. 2002. Biomechanical Investigations on the Skulls of Reptiles and Mammals. Senckenbergiana Lethaea 82:207–222.
^ abcWitmer, L.M. 1997. The Evolution of the Antorbital Cavity of Archosaurs: A Study in Soft-Tissue Reconstruction in the Fossil Record with an Analysis of the Function of Pneumaticity. JVP 17(1 supp):1–76.
^Martin, A.J. (2006). Introduction to the Study of Dinosaurs. Second Edition. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing. pg. 299-300. ISBN 1-4051-3413-5.
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An antorbitalfenestra (plural: fenestrae) is an opening in the skull that is in front of the eye sockets. This skull character is largely associated...
supports the posterior portion of the Meckelian cartilage. antorbitalfenestra The antorbitalfenestra is one of the five major openings of the skull, located...
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windows) are openings in the skull. Antorbitalfenestra Mandibular fenestra Quadratojugal fenestra Subsquamosal fenestra, an opening between two parts of...
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maxillary fenestra, an opening in front of the antorbitalfenestra, is large and located in the middle of the antorbital fossa. The antorbitalfenestra itself...
Stegosauridae by the presence of teeth in the premaxilla, an antorbitalfenestra, and a mandibular fenestra. Huayangosaurinae, known from the Middle Jurassic of...
behind the orbit (eye socket), the lateral temporal fenestra, was very large, while the antorbitalfenestra, in front of the eyes, was long and elliptical...
fenestra. Zhuchengtyrannus also possesses a ventral margin of the antorbitalfenestra that lies well above that of the ventral rim of the antorbital fossa...
discontinuity in the surface texture of the bone. Overall, the oval-shaped antorbitalfenestra, situated behind and separate from the nostril, measures 45 millimetres...
encloses the antorbitalfenestra from the front; Tralkasaurus is unique among abelisaurids in that front margin of the antorbitalfenestra slopes forwards...
back of the skull, a hole in front of the eye socket called the antorbitalfenestra, maxillae bones in the upper jaw that connect along their palatal...
with the antorbitalfenestra, the major skull opening on the side of the snout. The name is derived from Greek monos, "single", and Latin fenestra, "window"...
serrated teeth set in deep sockets, a more active metabolism, and an antorbitalfenestra (a hole in the skull in front of the eyes). Reptiles with these traits...
ridge which terminates at the rear lower corner of the antorbitalfenestra. The antorbitalfenestra itself takes the form of a very large and elongated triangular...
horizontal length of the antorbitalfenestra is less than the length of the eye socket. The depression around the antorbitalfenestra ends in front of the...
Archosauria and later Archosauriformes, such as the presence of an antorbitalfenestra and serrated teeth, are now known to have evolved prior to those...
of the posterior edge of the antorbitalfenestra, a condition also seen in Stolokrosuchus, in which the antorbitalfenestra is almost entirely located within...
preserved in the holotype specimen". Based on the presence of an antorbitalfenestra the authors assigned Barberenasuchus to Archosauriformes, but stated...
skull had large nasoantorbital fenestrae (opening that combined the antorbitalfenestra in front of the eye with the bony nostril), and part of its palate...
tall and laterally compressed, forming most of the borders of the antorbitalfenestra (visible on the photo above). The palatal process extends anteroventrally...
as Skorpiovenator and Majungasaurus. The antorbitalfenestra was bounded by a larger depression, the antorbital fossa, which was formed by recessed parts...
and unusually wide. The section in front of the combined nasal-antorbitalfenestra was relatively short. Also unusual was the combination of its toothless...
depression around the antorbitalfenestra to the front, a smaller non-piercing hollowing can be seen that is probably homologous to the fenestra maxillaris. The...
Psittacosaurus had only four digits on the hand. In addition, the antorbitalfenestra, an opening in the skull between the eye socket and nostril, was...
about 1/2 taller proportionally. The pre-antorbitalfenestra, a small opening in front of or beneath the antorbital opening, is well developed in taxa like...
front of the antorbitalfenestra. Within this area a smaller hollowing is located, closed at the inside, perhaps representing the fenestra promaxillaris...
to the genus. However, C. iguidensis has antorbital fossae limited to the proximity of the antorbitalfenestra, a crest running along the medial face of...
phorusrhacids) is not discernible. The quadrangular shape of the antorbitalfenestra (an opening in front of the eye socket) is clear despite it being...