So I have struck another snag in my draft involving my character's biology. It is an anthropomorphic animal related to the pantherinae subfamily. So far, its physical structure resembles that of a human, in exception of hands, feet, tail and the head, which I find problematic. Using a human skull as a reference, carnivorous variants of the maxilla and mandible (other facial bones adjusted) are added with proportional cranial vault volume. This made the skull elongated front to back when compared to the reference.
Obviously I was faced with a weight distribution issue since the head was now much heavier. Retaining the human skull's balance on the first cervical vertebrae along with its original lumbar spine, thoracic spine, and sacral spine support, I compensated by reinforcing the nuchal ligament and surrounding connective tissue to off-set the additional weight in such a way that center of gravity from the human reference was preserved.
Will this configuration be stable enough to comfortably support the animalistic head? Or should I reposition the skull on the first cervical vertebrae? Or should I add more ligaments and connective tissue to the occipital bone?
Additional Information:
- The character is plantigrade in favor of balance and heavy lifting as opposed to the traditional digitrade most anthropomorphic creatures (werewolves, minotaurs etc.) have.
- The sacro-iliac joint and the lumbar curve are structured accordingly to accommodate a tail.
- The sketch below best represents my concerns. (Disclaimer: The sketch below is NOT mine. I suck at drawing.)