postcranial

[pohst-krey-nee-uhl]

adjective

Anatomy, Zoology.

1. located posterior to the head.

2. pertaining to or involving parts of the body that lie posterior to the head.

Word History and Origins

Origin of postcranial¹

First recorded in 1910–15; post- + cranial

Example Sentences

With their excellent preservation, the cranial, dental, and postcranial remains have been the subjects of extensive biological and morphological comparisons across Eurasia.

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"It appears that the inner ear provides a unique record of the evolutionary history of ape locomotion that offers an invaluable alternative to the study of the postcranial skeleton."

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The incorporation of postcranial anatomy therefore seems crucial to fully assess the ecology, disparity, and relationships of crocodylomorphs.

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But Brunet’s team didn’t give it a serious analysis until 2017 when a specialist in postcranial bones, Guillaume Daver, began to study it with Poitiers paleoanthropologist Franck Guy.

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The findings were classified as postcranial, meaning that the scientists discovered parts of the skeleton other than the skull.

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