tree gouging

A Comparative Analysis of the Articular Cartilage in the Temporomandibular Joint of Gouging and Nongouging New World Monkeys

Both laboratory and field data demonstrate that marmosets gouge trees with wide jaw gapes to elicit exudate flow. Tree gouging distinguishes marmosets from other platyrrhines and presents a natural experiment for studying the morphological consequences of this derived feeding behavior. We utilize comparative histomorphometrics to determine whether loading of the TMJ at wide jaw gapes impacts articular cartilage form in two habitual gouging species