Almost all mammals have seven vertebrae in their cervical spines. This consistency
represents one of the most prominent examples of morphological stasis in vertebrae …

Cetaceans represent the most diverse clade of extant marine tetrapods. Although the
restructuring of oceans could have contributed to their diversity, other factors might also be …

Living tetrapods owe their existence to a critical moment 360–340 million years ago when
their ancestors walked on land. Vertebrae are central to locomotion, yet systematic testing of …

The sauropterygian clade Plesiosauria arose in the Late Triassic and survived to the very
end of the Cretaceous. Plesiosauria evolved the greatest species diversity of any marine …

The fossil record of marine mammals from the upper Pliocene of the western coast of South
America is poorly known, hindering our knowledge about how and when marine mammal …

Commerson's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii), Peale's dolphin (Lagenorhynchus
australis), dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus), and hourglass dolphin …

Conspicuous vertebral column abnormalities in humpback dolphins (genus Sousa) were
documented for the first time during 3 photo-identification field studies of small populations …

In dolphins, centrum shape is one of the features that allows determination of stable and
flexible regions in the vertebral column. The Commerson's (Cephalorhynchus commersonii; …

Introduction Spinal deformities, including kyphoscoliosis, have been consistently
documented in cetaceans. However, the majority of reported cases of kyphoscoliosis in …

Fast swimming pelagic cetacean species have osteological characteristics that promote a
more stable spine in comparison to that of coastal species. The Peale's dolphin …