u/99jackals

Lab manuals like this old classic are the starting point for learning skull anatomy, cusp patterns, dental formulas and variations by taxa. There's no mystery to it, just a lot of fun shapes and descriptive words. A dog skull is used in the first diagram because it is a generalist; its parts aren't particularly specialized for certain functions. Once you learn what's where, you can see how it changes in other animals, reflecting their evolution and specializations. Teeth are the most diagnostic physical feature in a mammal skeleton, but every bone can offer details about the animal's identity.