Tag Archive for 'Alligator'

Life reconstruction of Poposaurus; this crocodilyan was around 4 m (13 feet) long and lived alongside dinosaurs from 237 to 201.3 million years ago. Image credit: Jagged Fang.

Scientists Map Family Tree of Pseudosuchia

Dec 5, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Pseudosuchia is a group of archosaurian reptiles, defined as all species more closely related to crocodylians than to birds. Living representatives of...

An artistic reconstruction of Alligator munensis. Image credit: Márton Szabó.

Fossil of Deep-Snouted Alligator Species Found in Thailand

Jul 18, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The newly-identified species is closely related to the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis), the only living representative of Alligatoridae (the crown-group...

Torvosaurus gurneyi. Image credit: © Sergey Krasovskiy.

Study: Visual Perspective Taking Originated in Dinosaur Lineage, Likely Earlier than in Mammals

May 22, 2023 by News Staff

Taking someone else’s visual perspective marks an evolutionary shift in the formation of advanced social cognition. It enables using others’ attention...

Embryological series of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) showing the transition from ancestral to derived pelvic states across avian prehatching ontogeny: (a) pelvic reconstructions along the evolutionary transition to living birds; note that pelves are shown as examples of character states and are not in one-to-one correspondence with ontogenetic stages; (b) during ontogeny, the ilium extends first posteriorly and then anteriorly, the pubis retroverts, the tail becomes relatively reduced and a transient pubic boot appears at intermediate ontogenetic stages; (c) the CFL (M. caudofemoralis longus homologue) is large during early ontogenetic stages; the IF (M. iliofemoralis homologue) originates smaller and further back on the ilium before expanding anteriorly to the derived condition and never splits into two muscles as seen in the adult; and PIFE1+2 (Mm. puboischiofemoralis externus 1 et 2 homologues) fail to fully differentiate until after the pubis is retroverted; muscles that are not highlighted are in gray; (d) the derived pelvic spinal nerve arrangement in birds (top), with additional spinal nerves contributing to the sacral plexus and nerves in Coturnix embryos (bottom). Scale bars - 1 mm in (b and d), 2 mm in (c). Image credit: Griffin et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04982-w.

Study: Developing Bird Hip Bone Passes through Ancestral Dinosaurian Conditions

Aug 8, 2022 by News Staff

Living birds have bodies substantially modified from the ancestral reptilian condition. The bird pelvis (hip bone) in particular experienced major changes...

Xu et al. present the first anatomical and histological evidence of tail repair with regrowth in an archosaur, the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis); the regrown alligator tails constituted approximately 6-18% of the total body length and were morphologically distinct from original tail segments. Image credit: Norbert Nagel / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Young American Alligators Can Regrow Their Tails, Study Shows

Nov 24, 2020 by News Staff

Young American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) have the ability to regrow their tails up to 18% of their total body length, according to a study...

An illustration of Deinosuchus. Image credit: Tyler Stone, tylerstoneart.wordpress.com.

New Species of Ancient Giant Alligator Identified

Aug 11, 2020 by News Staff

A new species of crocodilian related to modern alligators has been identified from fossils found in Mississippi and Alabama, the United States. Named Deinosuchus...

A graphic thermal image of a T. rex with its dorsotemporal fenestra glowing on the skull. Image credit: Brian Engh.

Tyrannosaurus rex Had ‘Thermostat’ in Its Head

Sep 5, 2019 by News Staff

Tyrannosaurus rex, a species of carnivorous dinosaur that lived about 68 million years ago, had an internal thermostat in its head, according to a study...

Sellers et al found regardless of tooth position, age, or diet, crocodiles do not have thick tooth enamel. Image credit: Pexels.

Crocodiles Have Surprisingly Thin Tooth Enamel, Study Shows

Aug 15, 2019 by News Staff

Crocodiles — and their plant-eating ancestors — have thin tooth enamel, a trait that is in stark contrast to humans and other hard-biting species,...

An artist’s interpretation of ancient North American fauna. The new study revealed that elephant-like gomphotheres, rhinos, horses and antelopes with slingshot-shaped horns were among the species recovered near Beeville, Texas, by Great Depression-era fossil hunters. Image credit: Jay Matternes / Smithsonian Institution.

Rhinos, Gomphotheres, Camels, Horses, Antelopes and Alligators Lived in Ancient ‘Texas Serengeti’

Apr 17, 2019 by News Staff

Dr. Steven May, a paleontology research associate at the University of Texas at Austin, has studied and identified an extensive collection of fossils from...

Dinosaurs Couldn’t Stick Out Theirs Tongues, New Study Shows

Jun 22, 2018 by News Staff

Reconstructions of dinosaurs at theme parks and museums often show their tongues waving — a feature that is completely incorrect. According to new...

Nile crocodiles. Image credit: University of Minnesota.

Crocodiles, Alligators Eat Fruits, Say Biologists

Aug 22, 2013 by Natali Anderson

Nile crocodiles, American alligators and other crocodilians enjoy fruits along with their normal meat-heavy diets of mammals, birds, and fish, according...

A captive American alligator in a defensive position (Ianaré Sévi / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Alligator Stem Cells Offer Hope for Tooth Regeneration in Humans

May 17, 2013 by Natali Anderson

An international team of scientists led by Prof Cheng-Ming Chuong from the University of Southern California has discovered unique cellular and molecular...