Preferred Label : sagittal keel;
Uberon definition : The Sagittal keel (torus) is a thickening of bone on part or all of the midline of
the frontal bone, or parietal bones where they meet along the sagittal suture, or
on both bones..;
Uberon related term : sagittal torus;
Uberon Taxon note : Sagittal keels occur in Homo erectus and occasionally Homo heidelbergensis, where
they probably served as an armour against shock to the roof of the skull, and as the
attachment point for the temporalis muscles. Most Homo sapiens lost them likely as
part of the general trend toward thinning of the cranial bones during the Pleistocene,
to make room for larger brains. However there is a very small portion of modern humans
who have this, but its function and etiology are unknown. Patrick Stewart of Star
Trek and the martial artist Shi Yan Ming present good examples of modern humans with
this feature.;
Origin ID : 0013448;
part of
The Sagittal keel (torus) is a thickening of bone on part or all of the midline of
the frontal bone, or parietal bones where they meet along the sagittal suture, or
on both bones..
