Match tier Confirmed
Presence Current · Arkansas
Last published 2025
Sources OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed 2026-08-20

Claire E. Terhune

Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.

Federal Grant PI

Researcher

Also affiliated: Duke University (2011–2015); University of Chicago (2011); Duke Medical Center (2011–2013); Duke University Hospital (2011–2013); Arizona State University (2007–2008)

Faculty Researcher

18 h-index 75 pubs 1,057 cited

  • Animals
  • Female
  • Male
  • Skull
  • Humans
  • Hominidae
  • Jaw
  • Mandible
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Fossils
  • Mastication
  • Bite Force
  • Temporomandibular Joint
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Primates

Biography and Research Information

OverviewAI-generated summary

Claire E. Terhune's research focuses on the study of primate anatomy, biomechanics, and paleoanthropology, with a particular emphasis on craniofacial morphology and functional adaptations. Her work investigates how skeletal structures relate to feeding behaviors and evolutionary history across various primate species, including humans and their fossil ancestors. Terhune has examined topics such as bite force, gape, and fluctuating asymmetry in the skulls and jaws of different primate groups, from capuchins and macaques to gorillas and chimpanzees.

Her research extends to the fossil record, contributing to the understanding of early hominin presence and dispersal in Eurasia. Terhune has been involved in multiproxy paleoenvironmental reconstructions of Early Pleistocene sites, integrating paleontological data to shed light on ancient ecosystems and faunal communities. She has also explored the paleontology of specific fossil mammals from regions like Romania.

Terhune has received federal funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her research. This includes support for doctoral dissertation research on primate hyoid bone and suprahyoid muscle function, as well as collaborative projects focused on advancing spatial archaeometry. Her scholarly output is reflected in a h-index of 18, with over 75 publications and more than 1,000 citations. She leads a research group and collaborates with researchers from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith and within the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Metrics

  • h-index: 18
  • Publications: 75
  • Citations: 1,057

Selected Publications

  • A (Bite) Force to Be Reckoned With (2025)
    American Journal of Biological Anthropology DOI OpenAlex
  • Ontogenetic Changes in Feeding Behaviors in Tufted Capuchins (2025)
    American Journal of Biological Anthropology DOI OpenAlex
  • Jaw‐Muscle Structure and Function in Primates: Insights Into Muscle Performance and Feeding‐System Behaviors (2025)
    Evolutionary Anthropology Issues News and Reviews 7 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Hominin presence in Eurasia by at least 1.95 million years ago (2025)
    Nature Communications 17 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • The influence of age, biological sex, anthropometrics, and neck characteristics on external occipital protuberance size (2024)
    Journal of Orthopaedic Science 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Jaw-muscle fiber architecture and skull form facilitate relatively wide jaw gapes in male cercopithecoid monkeys (2024)
    Journal of Human Evolution 5 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Sexual Dimorphism and Divergent Evolutionary Pathways in Primate Cranial Biomechanics: Insights From a Theoretical Morphology Framework (2024)
    Journal of Morphology 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Variation in Craniodental Pathologies Among Cercopithecoid Primates (2024)
    American Journal of Primatology DOI OpenAlex
  • Ontogenetic biomechanics of tufted (<i>Sapajus</i>) and untufted (<i>Cebus</i>) capuchin mandibles (2024)
    American Journal of Biological Anthropology 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Dental remains of Plio–Pleistocene Cercopithecidae (Mammalia: Primates) from Romania (2024)
    Journal of Human Evolution 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Tradeoffs between bite force and gape in <i>Eulemur</i> and <i>Varecia</i> (2024)
    Journal of Morphology 6 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Ontogenetic changes in jaw leverage and skull shape in tufted and untufted capuchins (2024)
    Journal of Morphology 5 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • The impact of measurement technique and sampling on estimates of skeletal muscle fibre architecture (2024)
    The Anatomical Record 8 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • CARNIVORA FROM THE EARLY PLEISTOCENE OF GRĂUNCEANU (OLTEŢ RIVER VALLEY, DACIAN BASIN, ROMANIA) (2023)
    RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PALEONTOLOGIA E STRATIGRAFIA 5 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Skeletal age during hurricane impacts fluctuating asymmetry in Cayo Santiago rhesus macaques (2023)
    Ecology and Evolution 10 citations DOI OpenAlex

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Federal Grants 3 $490,471 total

Collaboration Network

56 Collaborators 47 Institutions 7 Countries

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