{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T06:44:35Z","timestamp":1784616275350,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,24]],"date-time":"2024-04-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1713916800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"the scope of 19 May\u0131s University Scientific Research Project","award":["PYO.VET.1904.21.037"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PYO.VET.1904.21.037"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This research utilizes geometric morphometrics to investigate shape variation in the skull, mandible, and teeth among three rat strains: Wistar Albino (WA), Sprague Dawley (SD), and WAG\/Rij (WR). Through the analysis of 48 rats using 2D geometric morphometric techniques, significant differences in their skull morphology were identified. This study indicates a shift from a rectangular to an oval cranial shape across strains, with notable size and morphological variances. Particularly, the WR strain\u2019s skull shape significantly differs from the SD and WA strains, suggesting distinct ecological or genetic pathways. Compared to the skull, mandible shape differences are less pronounced, but still significant. The WR strain exhibits a distinct mandible shape, potentially reflecting ecological adaptations like dietary habits. The teeth shape of WR rats is the most distinct. SD rats consistently exhibited larger sizes in both skull and mandible measurements, while WR rats were notably smaller. Interestingly, sexual dimorphism was not statistically significant in skull and teeth sizes, aligning with findings from previous studies. However, the mandible showed clear size differences between sexes, underscoring its potential for adaptive or behavioral studies. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of morphological variations in rat strains, highlighting the intricate interplay of size, shape, and ecological factors. These findings lay a foundation for deeper explorations into the adaptive, ecological, or genetic narratives influencing rat morphology.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani14091274","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,24]],"date-time":"2024-04-24T07:38:51Z","timestamp":1713944331000},"page":"1274","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Comparative Cranial Geometric Morphometrics among Wistar Albino, Sprague Dawley, and WAG\/Rij Rat Strains"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Duygu K\u00fc\u00e7\u00fck","family":"A\u011fa\u00e7","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary, \u015eiran Mustafa Beyaz Vocational School, G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane University, 29700 G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Burcu","family":"Onuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ondokuz May\u0131s University, 55270 Samsun, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3637-8166","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ozan","family":"G\u00fcndemir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34500 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Murat","family":"Kabak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ondokuz May\u0131s University, 55270 Samsun, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicoleta","family":"Manuta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul University-Cerrahpa\u015fa, 34500 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Buket","family":"\u00c7akar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul University-Cerrahpa\u015fa, 34500 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4357-2271","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maciej","family":"Janeczek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biostructure and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroc\u0142aw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Denise Amber","family":"Crampton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8555-6435","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tomasz","family":"Szara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Morphological Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Wilson, D.E., and Reeder, D.M. 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