zygomatic arch

zygomatic arch, bridge of bone extending from the temporal bone at the side of the head around to the maxilla (upper jawbone) in front and including the zygomatic (cheek) bone as a major portion. The masseter muscle, important in chewing, arises from the lower edge of the arch; another major chewing muscle, the temporalis, passes through the arch. The zygomatic arch is particularly large and robust in herbivorous animals, including baboons and apes. In human evolution the zygomatic arch has tended to become more gracile (slender). For example, Australopithecus robustus, an early hominid, had a large zygomatic arch, taken by some scholars to be evidence for a herbivorous diet, while Australopithecus africanus, a later hominid, had a small, fragile-looking arch and is generally believed to have been a hunter and omnivore. In modern humans the zygomatic arch is more prominent in some populations and is larger and more robust in males.