Carnivores (cats, dogs and kin) are a diverse group of mammals that inhabit a remarkable
range of ecological niches. While the relationship between ecology and morphology has …

The diversity of vertebrate skeletons is often attributed to adaptations to distinct ecological
factors such as diet, locomotion, and sensory environment. Although the adaptive evolution …

Morphological diversity is often attributed as adaptations to distinct ecologies. Although
biologists have long hypothesized that distinct ecologies drive the evolution of body shape …

Functional trade-offs can affect patterns of morphological and ecological evolution as well as
the magnitude of morphological changes through evolutionary time. Using morpho …

Members of the mammalian clade Carnivora have invaded nearly every continent and
ocean, evolving into bamboo-eating pandas, clam-eating walruses and of course, flesh …

To understand the functional meaning of morphological features, we need to relate what we
know about morphology and ecology in a meaningful, quantitative framework. Closely …

The skeleton is a complex arrangement of anatomical structures that covary to various
degrees depending on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Among the Feliformia, many …

The use of geometric morphometrics for studying phenotypic variation in amphibians and
reptiles has visibly increased in the last decade. These modern tools provide a robust …

Phenotypic similarities between distantly related marsupials and placentals are commonly
presented as examples of convergence and support for the role of adaptive evolution in …

Patterns of skull shape in Carnivora provide examples of parallel and convergent evolution
for similar ecomorphological adaptations. However, although most researchers report on …