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 …

Osteoderms are mineralised structures consisting mainly of calcium phosphate and
collagen. They form directly within the skin, with or without physical contact with the skeleton …

Predator-prey dynamics are an important evolutionary driver of escalating predation mode
and efficiency, and commensurate responses of prey [1–3]. Among these strategies …

Two major skeletal systems—the endoskeleton and exoskeleton—are recognized in
vertebrate evolution. Here, we propose that these two systems are distinguished primarily by …

The fossil record of ornithischians in South America is sparse, and they are clearly
underrepresented when compared with sauropod dinosaurs. However, recent discoveries …

Abstract 'Rauisuchia'comprises Triassic pseudosuchians that ranged greatly in body size,
locomotor styles and feeding ecologies. Our concept of what constitutes a rauisuchian is …

Minmi is the only known genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur from Australia. Seven specimens
are known, all from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland. Only two of these have been …

Ankylosaurs were important megaherbivores of Jurassic and Cretaceous ecosystems. Their
distinctive craniodental anatomy and mechanics differentiated them from coexisting …

In the mid-19th century, the discovery that bone microstructure in fossils could be preserved
with fidelity provided a new avenue for understanding the evolution, function, and …

X-ray computed tomography and petrographic thin sectioning were used to study internal
features of the plates of the thyreophoran dinosaur Stegosaurus and the osteoderms of …