Incremental stages of major evolutionary transitions within a single animal lineage are rarely
observed in the fossil record. However, the extraordinarily complete sequence of well …

DISCUSSION The scales of MSNM V3662 appear to be a blend of the scale types present in
extant lizards and snakes. Small, irregular, nonimbricated head scales associated with small …

The repeated return of tetrapods to aquatic life provides some of the best-known examples
of convergent evolution. One comparison that has received relatively little focus is that of …

Thalattosuchians were highly specialised aquatic archosaurs of the Jurassic and Early
Cretaceous, and represent a peak of aquatic adaptation among crocodylomorphs. Relatively …

A number of extant and extinct archosaurs evolved an elongate, narrow rostrum. This
longirostrine condition has been associated with a diet comprising a higher proportion of fish …

Mosasaurid squamates were the dominant amniote predators in marine ecosystems during
most of the Late Cretaceous. Here, we use a suite of biomechanically rooted, functionally …

A predominantly fish-eating diet was envisioned for the sail-backed theropod dinosaur
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus when its elongate jaws with subconical teeth were unearthed a …

In his seminal work,'North American Plesiosaurs: Elasmosaurus, Cimoliasaurus, and
Polycotylus', Samuel Wendell Williston delves into the fascinating world of prehistoric marine …

Mosasauroidea, prominent marine lizards (Squamata, Toxicofera) of the final 30 million
years of the Cretaceous, have been extensively studied for their morphology, ecology and …

The concept of convergence, that is, how unrelated animals independently evolve similar
morphological traits, is a fundamental aspect of evolution. Hitherto, the Mesozoic …