Morphology forms the most fundamental level of data in vertebrate palaeontology because it
is through interpretations of morphology that taxa are identified, creating the basis for broad …

The largest known dinosaurs weighed at least 20 million times as much as the smallest,
indicating exceptional phenotypic divergence. Previous studies have focused on extreme …

The intersection of paleontology and biomechanics can be reciprocally illuminating, helping
to improve paleobiological knowledge of extinct species and furthering our understanding of …

Uncertainties in the phylogeny of birds (Avialae) and their closest relatives have impeded
deeper understanding of early theropod flight. To help address this, we produced an …

Pterosaurs, the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight, were key components of Mesozoic
terrestrial ecosystems from their sudden appearance in the Late Triassic until their demise at …

Powered flight evolved independently in vertebrates in the pterosaurs, birds and bats, each
of which has a different configuration of the bony elements and epidermal structures that …

Inferring the body mass of fossil taxa, such as non‐avian dinosaurs, provides a powerful tool
for interpreting physiological and ecological properties, as well as the ability to study these …

Background During the growth of complex multicellular organisms, chronological age, size
and morphology change together in a hierarchical and coordinated pattern. Among extinct …

Sauropod dinosaurs were dominant, bulk-browsing herbivores for 130 million years of the
Mesozoic, attaining gigantic body masses in excess of 60 metric tons [1, 2]. A columnar …

Giant carnivorous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex and abelisaurids are characterized
by highly reduced forelimbs that stand in contrast to their huge dimensions, massive skulls …