Why the long face? Scientists solve a major puzzle in mammal skull shape evolution

In a major review of how mammalian heads evolve, scientists from Flinders University and The University of Adelaide found that adaptations to feeding explain why large species of mammals often have much longer faces compared to smaller closely related species — a pattern referred to as Craniofacial Evolutionary Allometry (CREA).

Study leader Dr Rex Mitchell, from Flinders University, says: “The CREA pattern is seen across lots of different mammals that otherwise have little in common — from…