ABSTRACT
Knowledge of primate ecology is an important key to the understanding of the particular status of organs and their structures. For morphology is in many respects an expression of organ function and thereby is the result of an organism’s adaptation. The sexual dimorphism of the baboon skull is also conditioned by special ecological influences. Reliance only on topography for taxonomic purposes frequently leads to erroneous classification as will be shown by citing examples from the skull. In conjunction with the dentition, characters of skull structure have long been used as criteria for taxonomic studies of fossil primates. Differences in skull topography can be expected in consequence of differences in body size alone. Skull topography can be influenced by organs which lie subbasally between the cervical vertebral column and the mandibular symphysis. Skull topography acquires diagnostic value for distinguishing Hominidae from Pongidae only in the later, progressive phases of hominid evolution.
