GIGNAC, P.M.*; PRIETO-MARQUEZ, A.; ERICKSON, G.M.; JOSHI, S.H.; Florida State University, Tallahassee; Florida State University, Tallahassee; Florida State University, Tallahassee; Florida State University, Tallahassee: Testing the utility of osteological correlates purported to reflect gender in non-avian dinosaurs Gender in non-avian theropod dinosaurs has been inferred using attributes in the pelvic girdles and tail skeleton that […]

HIERONYMUS, T.L.*; WITMER, L.M.; Ohio University, Athens; Ohio University, Athens: From armor to anchor: Character evolution of the skin and horns of rhinos Previous reconstructions of extinct rhinocerotid taxa have invoked three separate patterns of nasal horns, but without specifying an explicit and mechanistic relationship between unpreserved soft tissues and available osteological correlates. New data […]

SUMIDA, S.S.*; NORIEGA, K.; FISK, J.; California State Univ. San Bernardino; California State Univ. San Bernardino; Atomic Monkey Digital Modeling: Developing a digital atlas of a centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur foot using nearly complete and articulated materials A nearly complete right hind limb of a centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur from the Sage Creek Locality of the Late […]

LONGRICH, N. R.; University of Calgary: Aquatic marsupials from the Late Cretaceous of North America Following the end of the Cretaceous, a wide range of mammals became adapted to life in water, but no strong evidence is available for aquatic mammals during the Mesozoic. Recently, a series of unusual, large (1.4-2.6 cm) mammalian caudal vertebrae […]

WEINBAUM, Jonathan; Texas Tech University: A reassessment of the systematics of rauisuchids and poposaurids (Archosauria: Crurotarsi) The systematics of poposaurid and rauisuchid archosaurs is not well understood, particularly in relation to crocodylomorphs. The monophyly of both groups has also been questioned by several authors. Confusion stems in part due to a lack of complete descriptive […]

DEVRIES, M.S.*; WAINWRIGHT, P.C.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Davis: The effects of acute temperature change on prey capture kinematics in Largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides A common relationship in ectothermic vertebrates is that as temperature decreases, the rate of muscle contraction decreases. Animals moving in cooler water must also contend with the increasing […]

COOPER, W. James; Univ. of Chicago & Field Museum: The Evolution of Feeding Biomechanics in Damselfishes The damselfishes (Perciformes; Pomacentridae) comprise one of the dominant groups of fishes on all coral reefs and are a major component of the trophic ecology within these systems. This study examined the evolution of damselfish feeding mechanisms by combining […]

O’REILLY, J.C.*; INFANTE, C.R.; FENOLIO, D.B.; DEBAN, S.M.; University of Miami, Coral Gables FL; Harvard University, Cambridge MA; University of Miami, Coral Gables FL; University of South Florida, Tampa FL: Prey Capture in �Macrophagous� Tadpoles Generalized tadpoles (e.g., Rana) filter very small food items from the water column or from a suspension generated by scrapping […]

CARROLL, Andrew M.*; WAINWRIGHT, Peter C.; COUGHLIN, David J.; Concord Field Station, Harvard University; University of California, Davis; Widener University: Muscle function and muscular power output during suction feeding Muscle power output is thought to limit suction feeding performance, yet it has never been directly measured. In this study, epaxial activation and strain, hyoid depression, […]

CLARK, A. J.**; SUMMERS, A. P.; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of California, Irvine: Functional morphology and kinematics of the hagfish feeding apparatus Hagfish are basal craniates that lack jaws. Instead of jaws, hagfish possess a cartilaginous dental plate with two rows of cusps that resemble grasping dentition. A series of ventrally situated cartilaginous elements […]