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Variation in whale (Cetacea) inner ear anatomy reveals the early evolution of "specialized" high-frequency hearing sensitivity.
J Anat
December 2024
Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
As fully aquatic mammals, hearing is arguably the most important sensory component of cetaceans. Increasingly, researchers have been harnessing computed tomography (CT) to investigate the details of the inner ear as they can provide clues to the hearing abilities of whales. We use microCT scans of a broad sampling of the ear bones (periotics) of primarily toothed whales (Odontoceti) to investigate the inner ear bony labyrinth shape and reconstruct hearing sensitivities among these cetaceans, including several taxa about which little is currently known.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnatomy and ontogeny of the "carnivorous aetosaur": New information on Coahomasuchus kahleorum (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Texas.
Anat Rec (Hoboken)
February 2025
Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
A newly referred specimen of Coahomasuchus kahleorum (TMM 31100-437) from the lower part of the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Texas preserves much of the skeleton including the majority of the skull. Introduced in the literature in the 1980s as the "carnivorous aetosaur", TMM 31100-437 bears recurved teeth that previously were considered unique among aetosaurs. The small size of the individual led to speculation that it represents a skeletally immature individual that retains a plesiomorphic dentition for Archosauromorpha.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMummy of a juvenile sabre-toothed cat Homotherium latidens from the Upper Pleistocene of Siberia.
Sci Rep
November 2024
Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia.
The frozen mummy of the large felid cub was found in the Upper Pleistocene permafrost on the Badyarikha River (Indigirka River basin) in the northeast of Yakutia, Russia. The study of the specimen appearance showed its significant differences from a modern lion cub of similar age (three weeks) in the unusual shape of the muzzle with a large mouth opening and small ears, the very massive neck region, the elongated forelimbs, and the dark coat color. Tomographic analysis of the mummy skull revealed the features characteristic of Machairodontinae and of the genus Homotherium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Biofilm Channel Origin for Vermiform Microstructure in Carbonate Microbialites.
Geobiology
October 2024
Department of Earth Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
A three-dimensional tubular fabric known as "vermiform microstructure" in Phanerozoic and Neoproterozoic carbonate microbialites has been hypothesized to represent the body fossil of nonspicular keratose demosponges. If correct, this interpretation extends the sponge body fossil record and origin of animals to ~890 Ma. However, the veracity of the keratose sponge interpretation for vermiform microstructure remains in question, and the origin of the tubular fabric is enigmatic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeep-time origin of tympanic hearing in crown reptiles.
Curr Biol
November 2024
Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-901, Brazil. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- - The transition of tetrapods to terrestrial ecosystems around 375 million years ago marked a significant evolutionary step, driven by adaptations like the development of a tympanic ear that improved sound detection in air.
- - Earlier theories claimed a single evolutionary origin for the tympanic ear in tetrapods, but recent studies indicate it evolved independently in amphibians, mammals, and reptiles, though it’s unclear how many times this occurred within reptiles.
- - New research combines developmental and paleontological insights, suggesting that the tympanic membrane was likely present in a common ancestor of crown reptiles, arguing for a single evolutionary origin rather than multiple instances for tympanic hearing in modern reptiles.
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