Ontogeny of the Orbital Glands and Their Environs in the Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata: Delphinidae).

The nasolacrimal duct (NLD) connects the orbital (often associated with the Deep Anterior Orbital gland: DAOG, a.k.a.

Development of the nasolacrimal apparatus in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), with notes on network topology and function.

The nasolacrimal apparatus (NLA) is a multicomponent functional system comprised of multiple orbital glands (up to four larger multicellular exocrine structures), a nasal chemosensory structure (vomeronasal organ: VNO), and a connecting duct (nasolacrimal duct: NLD). Although this system has been described in all tetrapod vertebrate lineages, albeit not always with all three main components present, considerably less is known about its ontogeny. The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) is a common lab rodent in which the individual components of the adult NLA have been well studied, but as yet nothing is known about the ontogeny of the NLA.

Breathing in a box: constraints on lung ventilation in giant pterosaurs.

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to achieve active flight, with some derived forms reaching enormous size. Accumulating fossil evidence confirms earlier indications that selection for large size in these flying forms resulted in a light, yet strong skeleton characterized by fusion of many bones of the trunk. However, this process also added mechanical constraints on the mobility of the thorax of large pterosaurs that likely limited the options available for lung ventilation.

Towards a comprehensive model of feather regeneration.

Understanding of the regeneration of feathers, despite a 140 year tradition of study, has remained substantially incomplete. Moreover, accumulated errors and mis-statements in the literature have confounded the intrinsic difficulties in describing feather regeneration. Lack of allusion to Rudall's (Rudall [1947] Biochem Biophys Acta 1:549-562) seminal X-ray diffraction study that revealed two distinct keratins, beta- and alpha-, in a mature feather, is one of the several examples where lack of citation long inhibited progress in understanding.

"A new lachrymal gland with an excretory duct in red and fallow deer" by Johann jacob Harder (1694): English translation and historical perspective.

The Harderian gland is an enigmatic orbital gland that has been described for many tetrapods, although a consistent definition of this structure has remained elusive. In particular, an unambiguous distinction between the Harderian gland and the nictitans gland, which may both occur in the anterior aspect of the orbit of mammals, remains problematic. These glands were first distinguished in 1694 by Johann Jacob Harder, a Swiss physician and anatomist.

The evolution of endothermy in terrestrial vertebrates: Who? When? Why?

Avian and mammalian endothermy results from elevated rates of resting, or routine, metabolism and enables these animals to maintain high and stable body temperatures in the face of variable ambient temperatures. Endothermy is also associated with enhanced stamina and elevated capacity for aerobic metabolism during periods of prolonged activity. These attributes of birds and mammals have greatly contributed to their widespread distribution and ecological success.

TURBINATES IN THERAPSIDS: EVIDENCE FOR LATE PERMIAN ORIGINS OF MAMMALIAN ENDOTHERMY.

The structure and function of the nasal conchae of extant reptiles, birds, and mammals are reviewed, and the relationships to endothermy of the mammalian elements are examined. Reptilian conchae are relatively simple, recurved structures, which bear primarily sensory (olfactory) epithelium. Conversely, the conchae, or turbinates, of birds and mammals are considerably more extensive and complex, and bear, in addition, nonsensory (respiratory) epithelium.