Lesson plan
Tabular bone
, showing the tabulars at the back of the skull in cyan The tabular bones are a pair of bones along the rear edge of the skull in many primitive tetrapods, often taking the form of a projecting "tabular horn", which formed part of the border of the otic notch. They served as attachment points for the neck muscles. While widely present in early tetrapods, they have been completely lost in all living tetrapod lineages, having been lost in the common ancestor of living reptiles and birds (Sauria), independently lost in caecilians (though present in the most primitive known caecilian Eocaecilia) and the common ancestor of salamanders and frogs (Batrachia), and the mammaliaform ancestors of living mammals.
Article summary
, showing the tabulars at the back of the skull in cyan The tabular bones are a pair of bones along the rear edge of the skull in many primitive tetrapods, often taking the form of a projecting "tabular horn", which formed part of the border of the otic notch. They served as attachment points for the neck muscles. While widely present in early tetrapods, they have been completely lost in all living tetrapod lineages, having been lost in the common ancestor of living reptiles and birds (Sauria), independently lost in caecilians (though present in the most primitive known caecilian Eocaecilia) and the common ancestor of salamanders and frogs (Batrachia), and the mammaliaform ancestors of living mammals.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.