The earliest segmental sternum in a Permian synapsid and its implications for the evolution of mammalian locomotion and ventilation [PDF]
The sternum is a stabilizing element in the axial skeleton of most tetrapods, closely linked with the function of the pectoral girdle of the appendicular skeleton. Modern mammals have a distinctive sternum characterized by multiple ossified segments, the
Eva-Maria Bendel +4 more
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Revisiting the evolutionary trend toward the mammalian lower jaw in non-mammalian synapsids in a phylogenetic context [PDF]
The mammalian lower jaw comprises a single bone, the dentary, which is a unique feature among vertebrates. The lower jaws of extinct non-mammalian synapsids were composed of the dentary and several postdentary bones. Synapsid fossils exhibit variation in
Tomohiro Harano, Masakazu Asahara
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The first non-mammalian synapsid embryo from the Triassic of South Africa. [PDF]
Oviparity was likely the plesiomorphic reproductive condition for non-mammalian Synapsida, the stem-mammal group. Yet, despite nearly two centuries of research, no definitive fossil eggs of late Palaeozoic or early Mesozoic synapsids have been discovered.
Julien Benoit +2 more
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A comprehensive phylogeny and revised taxonomy of Diadectomorpha with a discussion on the origin of tetrapod herbivory [PDF]
Among terrestrial tetrapods, the origin of herbivory marked a key evolutionary event that allowed for the evolution of modern terrestrial ecosystems. A 100 Ma gap separates the oldest terrestrial tetrapods and the first undisputed herbivorous tetrapods ...
Jasper Ponstein +2 more
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Range of Movement in Ray I of Manus and Pes and the Prehensility of the Autopodia in the Early Permian to Late Cretaceous Non-Anomodont Synapsida [PDF]
The mobility of ray I was analysed in seventy-eight Early Permian to Late Cretaceous specimens of non-mammalian Synapsida and one extant mammal. In all non-mammaliamorph Synapsida investigated, ray I formed a digital arcade.
Eberhard Frey
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The postcranial anatomy of Gorgonops torvus (Synapsida, Gorgonopsia) from the late Permian of South Africa [PDF]
Gorgonopsians are among the most recognizable groups of synapsids from the Permian period and have an extensive but mostly cranial fossil record. By contrast, relatively little is known about their postcranial anatomy. Here, we describe a nearly complete,
Eva-Maria Bendel +3 more
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Evolutionary stasis in synapsid encephalization during the end-permian mass extinction [PDF]
Brain size and encephalization are correlated with extinction risks, making them central to understanding evolutionary outcomes in the face of the climatic and ecological challenges posed by mass extinction events.
Julien Benoit +8 more
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The rise and fall of Varanopidae† (Amniota, Synapsida)
Study of past biological crises is now a timely topic because we may be in the midst of an anthropogenic mass extinction event. A skyline Fossilized Birth-Death (FBD) analysis of a dataset of 21 varanopid taxa, ranging in geological age from the mid ...
Gilles Didier, Michel Laurin
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Ontogenetic growth in the crania of Exaeretodon argentinus (Synapsida: Cynodontia) captures a dietary shift [PDF]
Background An ontogenetic niche shift in vertebrates is a common occurrence where ecology shifts with morphological changes throughout growth. How ecology shifts over a vertebrate’s lifetime is often reconstructed in extant species—by combining ...
Brenen Wynd +2 more
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Evolution of tooth morphological complexity and its association with the position of tooth eruption in the jaw in non-mammalian synapsids [PDF]
Heterodonty and complex molar morphology are important characteristics of mammals acquired during the evolution of early mammals from non-mammalian synapsids.
Tomohiro Harano, Masakazu Asahara
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