Infraorder
Hystricognathi (Hystricognaths)
Erethizon dorsatum. Photo: (c) Don Kemball, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
The Hystricognathi are an infraorder of rodents, distinguished from other rodents by the bone structure of their skulls. The masseter medialis (a jaw muscle) passes partially through the infraorbital foramen and connects to the bone on the opposite side. This, together with their lack of an infraorbital plate and the relative size of the infraorbital foramen, distinguishes hystricognaths from other rodent groups.
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