RT Journal Article
T1 Impact of Life History on Hippopotamus Skull Ontogeny
A1 Fidalgo Casares, Darío
A1 Bibi, Faysal
A1 Pandolfi, Luca
A1 Boisserie, Jean‐Renaud
A1 Martino, Roberta
A1 El Eshraky, Kheloud
A1 Palancar, Carlos A.
A1 Madurell Malapeira, Joan
A1 Rosas, Antonio
AB The biological processes underlying the wide phenotypic mammal diversity are still not thoroughly understood. In this study, we examined how major stages in the life history of the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius) influence its craniomandibular morphology throughout ontogeny. Using geometric morphometrics and life-history meta-analysis correlations, we characterized skulls from 198 individuals spanning 20 developmental stages. The most significant morphological changes were observed during early infancy (0–3 years), coinciding with lactation and weaning, and during puberty (10–15 years), coinciding with reproductive maturation. These findings align with growth patterns typical of social mammals exhibiting high sexual dimorphism. Notably, we identified a pattern previously undocumented in any other vertebrate: cranial morphology stabilizes earlier than the mandibular one. Specifically, late-stage (20–25 years) shape modification in the mandibles indicates progressive reconfiguration of masticatory biomechanics as well as a continuous change of dental occlusion throughout life. This pattern is common in both male and female individuals and may be related to shifts in diet rather than sexual selection. This study provides the most comprehensive ontogenetic dataset for a semi-aquatic, large semigraviportal mammal with a polygynous social structure, offering a valuable foundation for future evolutionary studies based on comparative analyses.
PB John Wiley & Sons
SN 1520-541X
YR 2025
FD 2025-07-24
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/129122
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/129122
LA eng
NO Fidalgo, Darío, et al. «Impact of Life History on Hippopotamus Skull Ontogeny». Evolution & Development, vol. 27, n.o 3, septiembre de 2025, p. e70013. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70013.
NO Sampling at The Natural History Museum in London was made possible thanks to funding from the SYNTHESYS+ program (H2020 Grant Agreement 823827, reference GB-TAF-TA4-007), at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris thanks to the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social project 200.400 Fund. I-Cerca 2020, at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin thanks to the Ministerio de Universidades grant EST23/00053 (associated with the project (FPU20/03389). Sampling at the Museums in Tervuren, Florence and Wroclaw was funded by SYNTHESYS+ [BE-TAF-136], by the University of Florence (“Progetto Giovani Ricercatori Protagonisti” initiative), by the European Union—Next Generation EU, call PRIN PNRR project P2022RZ4PL, and by the Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Visiting Professor), granted to L.P. and R.M. was funded by SYNTHESYS+ program (DE-TAF-TA4-063 2022) during her visit to the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde of Stuttgart. The research activity of A.R. and D.F. was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, PID2021-122356NB-I00. D.F. was supported by the Ayuda del Programa de Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU20/03389) and is a PhD student at the Programa de Doctorado en Biología at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. R.M. is granted by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) (2021.08458.BD).
NO European Commission
NO Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO Università di Firenze
NO Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences
NO Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
DS Docta Complutense
RD 30 dic 2025