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Mink Skull Diagram and Labeling

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The average mink skull is about 3 inches long.

The skull is made up of the cranial bones (cranium) and the facial bones (which include the mandible). The joints of the cranial and facial bones are called sutures.

The cranium surrounds and protects the brain and the organs of hearing and balance. The facial bones form the structure of the face, hold the eyes, and the organs for taste and smell and anchor the teeth. They have the openings for air and food. The whole skull anchors muscles that hold the head up and allows the mink to chew. Most of the bones of the skull are flat bones, except the mandible. The mandible is attached to the skull by a type of hinge joint. It is the biggest, strongest bone of the skull.

The dental formula of the mink is: 3/3, 1/1, 3/3, 1/2 = 34 teeth. This formula shows the number of top/bottom teeth on one side of the jaw, so the total number comes from adding the top and bottom numbers and multiplying by 2. The mink's dental formula shows that they have a total of 6 incisors on top, 6 incisors on bottom, 2 canines on top, 2 canines on bottom, 6 premolars on top, 6 premolars on bottom (that look like molars), 2 molars on top and 4 molars on bottom, for a total of 34 teeth.

Mink Skull Diagram and Labeling
Mink Skull Diagram and Labeling

To view these resources with no ads, please Login or Subscribe to help support our content development.

School subscriptions can access more than 175 downloadable unit bundles in our store for free (a value of $1,500).

District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

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