Facial fossa - Know what they are??

[lialls]

A Facial Fossa is the indent above the horses eye, it moves in a out as the horse eats/chews food.

It was first seen before the evloution of the modern day horse in the Mesohippus.

I was jst wondering if any of you could tell me if it actually has a function?? Or was it just where the horses skull has changed shape when they evolved and it was sort of a point of weakness, or just a gap in the horses skull??

Any ideas and opinions on this subject will be helpful.

Thank you inadvance

 

[Bossdog]

I would guess that is something to do with a change in diet, perhaps rapid lengthening of the skull to cope with long fibre instead of the succulents that would presumably be available in it's previous habitat caused a weakness in the skull. Certainly doesn't seem to do any harm!! This is just a guess by the way, perhaps looking at skull would help but I don't know where you'd get one!

Jules x

 

[misterjinglejay]

People say they get deeper as the horse ages, but I have made a bit of a study of them (my life is so fulfilled!) and the deepness/sunkeness seems to be related almost directly to stress.

The more the stress, the deeper the hollow.

Don't know what anyone else thinks....