When you come face to face with a pug, you’re probably wondering what type of bone structure could support such an oddly domed dog head. Well, researchers from ELTE Eötvös Loránd University have the answer not only to the shape of pug skulls, but also to the skulls of 152 dog breeds. A pug’s skull (seen below) is rounder and has a shorter upper jaw compared to other breeds. result of a genetic mutation.
The team at the university in Budapest, Hungary, has spent decades collecting and digitizing hundreds of dog skulls. Using a computed tomography (CT) scanner, researchers created high-resolution images that show the skulls in stunning detail.
“The digital skull database can be used for comparative anatomical and evolutionary studies, in the training of veterinarians and biologists, and even for the development of machine learning algorithms for automated species identification and veterinary diagnostics,” says Enikő Kubinyi, head of the MTA-ELTE . Lendület Companion Animal and ELTE NAP Canine Brain research groups, said in a statement. The database was published in the journal Scientific data and also contains CT images of skulls of domestic cats and wild species.
