Alligator Pterygoid

The pterygoid buttress is a large hypertrophied pterygoid flange. The buttress forms a 2nd jaw joint, the pterygomandibular joint. The buttress is covered with thick connective tissue and braces the mandible during feeding behaviors. M. pterygoideus dorsalis has a large attachment on the ascending process of the pterygoid. The palatal attachments of the muscle slide over much of the rest of the dorsal surface of the element. M. pterygoideus ventralis attaches to the caudal edge of the pterygoid via a large aponeurotic sac. The muscle then expands to attach along the mandible. The caudal end of the nasal cavity passes through the pterygoid to open at the choana. The choana is the opening of the nasal cavity into the pharynx. The choana migrated caudally during crocodyliform evolution. The posterior pterygoid flange is a tendonous process for the attachment of pterygoideus ventralis.