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LIMITED CONVERGENCE IN THE POSTCRANIUM OF AQUATIC CROCODYLOMORPHA Project ID: 000532738 Public
61 Media · 20 Specimens · Creator: Isaure SCAVEZZONI · Managed by: Isaure Scavezzoni

ABSTRACT. Thalattosuchia (Early Jurassic–Early Cretaceous) and Dyrosauridea (Late Cretaceous–Early Eocene) are crocodylomorph archosaurs which diversified in fluvial and marine environments and endured extinction events (i.e. Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary for Thalattosuchia; Cretaceous–Paleogene for Dyrosauridea). Their postcrania remain globally undervalued in anatomical descriptions and diagnoses, shrouding the locomotive adaptations that possibly underpinned their radiations and longevity. We thoroughly surveyed the postcranial morphology of Dyrosauridea and Thalattosuchia, recreated their girdles in three-dimensions using tens of high-precisions 3D scans, and analysed their shape using geometric morphometrics. Dyrosauridea and Thalattosuchia have clearly distinct postcrania, even when found within similar environments, suggesting the existence of clade-specific features limiting the strength of evolutionary convergence. Moreover, the range of postcranial morphologies evolved by dyrosaurids and thalattosuchians is large compared to extant crocodylians, making the latter unsatisfactory functional analogues for every group of extinct crocodylomorphs. Our work reveals the previously unsuspected potential of postcranial anatomy as an abundant source of phylogenetic and taxonomic characters to assess the relationships within Crocodylomorpha. Incorporation of postcranial anatomy therefore appears crucial to fully assess the ecology, disparity, and relationships of crocodylomorphs.

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  • Vertebrate Paleontology Division, Yale Peabody Museum[remove]4
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  • LIMITED CONVERGENCE IN THE POSTCRANIUM OF AQUATIC CROCODYLOMORPHA[remove]4
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Filtering by: Organization Vertebrate Paleontology Division, Yale Peabody Museum Remove constraint Organization: Vertebrate Paleontology Division, Yale Peabody Museum Project LIMITED CONVERGENCE IN THE POSTCRANIUM OF AQUATIC CROCODYLOMORPHA Remove constraint Project: LIMITED CONVERGENCE IN THE POSTCRANIUM OF AQUATIC CROCODYLOMORPHA
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  ID Part Object Taxonomy Type Date Added Publication Status  
000533336 Humerus YPM:VP:YPM VP 000985 Hyposaurus natator Mesh 2023-06-28 Restricted Download  
000533332 Coracoid YPM:VP:YPM VP 000985 Hyposaurus natator Mesh 2023-06-28 Restricted Download  
000532959 Femur YPM:VP:YPM VP 000753 Hyposaurus natator Mesh 2023-06-27 Restricted Download  
000532939 Ilium YPM:VP:YPM VP 000753 Hyposaurus natator Mesh 2023-06-27 Restricted Download  
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