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Data from: Unravelling the difference in craniofacial morphology of Yucatan miniature and standard pigs during postnatal ontogeny

Liang, Ce1; Qiu, Tengyang1; Marghoub, Arsalan1; Chathuranga, Damith S.1; Buzi, Costantino23; Profico, Antonio4; Didziokas, Marius1; Baldwin, Michael C.5; Pauws, Erwin1; Liu, Zi-Jun5; Rafferty, Katherine L.5; Herring, Susan W.5; Moazen, Mehran1

Research facility: University College London
Published Jul 22, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tdz08kqb1

Data files

Abstract

This study characterized postnatal skull growth and development, and morphological variations in Yucatan and standard (domestic) pigs, with a focus on the role of joint maturation in resulting craniofacial dysmorphology. Using imaging processing, craniometric measurement and geometric morphometric approaches, it reveals that while both breeds share a similar skull morphology at birth and exhibit allometric growth patterns, Yucatans develop a shorter midface and more compact neurocranium. Notably, Yucatans show delayed suture fusion compared to standard pigs, suggesting differences in joint maturation influence craniofacial form. These findings emphasizing the interactions with organ development, cavity expansion, and joint maturation during postnatal ontogeny, offering insights into mechanisms driving craniofacial diversification in pig models.

This dataset includes quantitative cranial measurement data from 40 pig specimens (Yucatan: n = 20, ages 0–12 months; standard: n = 20, ages 0–8 months), covering: (1) 24 linear measurements of facial, calvarial and mandibular dimensions; (2) 3 angular measurements of cranial vault, skull base and mandible; (3) Volumetric measurements capturing the size changes of intracranial, orbital and nasal cavities; (4) Calvarial thickness across the cranial vault; (5) Cranial joint gap width at 30 anatomical locations across the cranial sutures and synchondroses.

All raw and preprocessed data were saved in a rda file, and a fully annotated R script is provided as part of this dataset. This script enables reproduction of morphometric and statistical analyses presented in the study, which include: (1) Principal component analysis (PCA) to explore morphological variations in skull form and shape; (2) Pearson's correlation test to evaluate relations between the use of different landmark configurations; (3) Multivariate regressions to investigate ontogenetic allometry; (4) Partial least squares (PLS) analysis to assess covariation patterns either between anatomical substructures or between breeds