Biology of the sauropod dinosaurs: the evolution of gigantism
The herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were the
largest terrestrial animals ever, surpassing the largest herbivorous mammals by an order of …
largest terrestrial animals ever, surpassing the largest herbivorous mammals by an order of …
Interrogating genomic-scale data for Squamata (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians) shows no support for key traditional morphological relationships
Genomics is narrowing uncertainty in the phylogenetic structure for many amniote groups.
For one of the most diverse and species-rich groups, the squamate reptiles (lizards, snakes …
For one of the most diverse and species-rich groups, the squamate reptiles (lizards, snakes …
Assembling the squamate tree of life: perspectives from the phenotype and the fossil record
We assembled a dataset of 192 carefully selected species—51 extinct and 141 extant—and
976 apomorphies distributed among 610 phenotypic characters to investigate the phylogeny …
976 apomorphies distributed among 610 phenotypic characters to investigate the phylogeny …
[HTML][HTML] Geology and paleontology of the upper cretaceous Kem Kem group of eastern Morocco
The geological and paleoenvironmental setting and the vertebrate taxonomy of the
fossiliferous, Cenomanian-age deltaic sediments in eastern Morocco, generally referred to …
fossiliferous, Cenomanian-age deltaic sediments in eastern Morocco, generally referred to …
[HTML][HTML] The origin of snakes: revealing the ecology, behavior, and evolutionary history of early snakes using genomics, phenomics, and the fossil record
Background The highly derived morphology and astounding diversity of snakes has long
inspired debate regarding the ecological and evolutionary origin of both the snake total …
inspired debate regarding the ecological and evolutionary origin of both the snake total …
[HTML][HTML] An evolutionary cascade model for sauropod dinosaur gigantism-overview, update and tests
PM Sander - PloS one, 2013 - journals.plos.org
Sauropod dinosaurs are a group of herbivorous dinosaurs which exceeded all other
terrestrial vertebrates in mean and maximal body size. Sauropod dinosaurs were also the …
terrestrial vertebrates in mean and maximal body size. Sauropod dinosaurs were also the …
The first dinosaur egg was soft
Calcified eggshells protect developing embryos against environmental stress and contribute
to reproductive success. As modern crocodilians and birds lay hard-shelled eggs, this …
to reproductive success. As modern crocodilians and birds lay hard-shelled eggs, this …
[HTML][HTML] The ecological origins of snakes as revealed by skull evolution
The ecological origin of snakes remains amongst the most controversial topics in evolution,
with three competing hypotheses: fossorial; marine; or terrestrial. Here we use a geometric …
with three competing hypotheses: fossorial; marine; or terrestrial. Here we use a geometric …
[HTML][HTML] The oldest known snakes from the Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous provide insights on snake evolution
MW Caldwell, RL Nydam, A Palci… - Nature communications, 2015 - nature.com
The previous oldest known fossil snakes date from~ 100 million year old sediments (Upper
Cretaceous) and are both morphologically and phylogenetically diverse, indicating that …
Cretaceous) and are both morphologically and phylogenetically diverse, indicating that …
[HTML][HTML] Rapid increase in snake dietary diversity and complexity following the end-Cretaceous mass extinction
MC Grundler, DL Rabosky - PLoS Biology, 2021 - journals.plos.org
The Cenozoic marked a period of dramatic ecological opportunity in Earth history due to the
extinction of non-avian dinosaurs as well as to long-term physiographic changes that …
extinction of non-avian dinosaurs as well as to long-term physiographic changes that …