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2023
Journal article
Reappraisal of the thalattosuchian crocodylomorph record from the Middle-Upper Jurassic Rosso Ammonitico Veronese of northeastern Italy: Age calibration, new specimens and taphonomic biases
Despite their extremely rare and fragmentary record, aquatic crocodylomorphs from the Middle to Upper Jurassic (Bajocian-Tithonian) Rosso Ammonitico Veronese (RAV) of northeastern Italy have sparked interest since the late 18th century. Among marine reptiles, Thalattosuchia is by far one of the best represented groups from the RAV units, especially in...Serafini, Giovanni ; Foffa, Davide ; Young, Mark T ; Friso, Giacomo ; Cobianchi, Miriam …
Taxonomy , Skull , Jurassic period , Limestone, Vertebrae, Teeth, Dentition , and Taphonomy
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2022
Journal article
The ecological diversification and evolution of Teleosauroidea (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia), with insights into their mandibular biomechanics
Throughout the Jurassic, a plethora of marine reptiles dominated ocean waters, including ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs. These Jurassic ecosystems were characterized by high niche partitioning and spatial variation in dietary ecology. However, while the ecological diversity of many marine reptile lineages is well known, the overall ecological diversification of...Johnson, Michela M ; Foffa, Davide ; Young, Mark T ; Brusatte, Stephen L
Jurassic ecosystems , thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs, and Teleosauroidea
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2021
Journal article
Paranasal sinus system and upper respiratory tract evolution in Mesozoic pelagic crocodylomorphs
Thalattosuchians were a predominately marine clade of Mesozoic crocodylomorphs, including semi-aquatic teleosauroid and obligately pelagic metriorhynchid subclades. Recent advances in our understanding of thalattosuchian endocranial anatomy have revealed new details of the evolutionary transition from terrestrial to marine to pelagic taxa. Paranasal sinuses, however, have received little attention. Herein, we...Cowgill, Thomas ; Young, Mark T ; Schwab, Julia A ; Walsh, Stig ; Witmer, Lawrence M …
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2021
Journal article
Rostral neurovasculature indicates sensory trade‐offs in Mesozoic pelagic crocodylomorphs
Metriorhynchoid thalattosuchians were a marine clade of Mesozoic crocodylomorphs that evolved from semi-aquatic, “gharial”-like species into the obligately pelagic subclade Metriorhynchidae. To explore whether the sensory and physiological demands of underwater life necessitates a shift in rostral anatomy, both in neurology and vasculature, we investigate the trigeminal innervation and potential...Bowman, Charlotte I W ; Young, Mark T ; Schwab, Julia A ; Walsh, Stig ; Witmer, Lawrence M …
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2021
Journal article
Ontogenetic variation in the crocodylian vestibular system
Crocodylians today live in tropical to subtropical environments, occupying mostly shallow waters. Their body size changes drastically during ontogeny, as do their skull dimensions and bite forces, which are associated with changes in prey preferences. Endocranial neurosensory structures have also shown to change ontogenetically, but less is known about the...Schwab, Julia A ; Young, Mark T ; Walsh, Stig A ; Witmer, Lawrence M ; Herrera, Yanina …
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2020
Journal article
First and most northern occurrence of a thalattosuchian crocodylomorph from the Jurassic of the Isle of Skye, Scotland
The Jurassic was a key interval for the evolution of dinosaurs, crocodylomorphs and many other vertebrate groups. In recent years, new vertebrate fossils have emerged from the Early–Middle Jurassic of the Isle of Skye, Scotland; however, much more is known about Skye's dinosaur fauna than its crocodylomorphs. Here we report...Kean, Kim J ; Foffa , Davide ; Johnston, Michela M ; Young, Mark T ; Greitens, Gert …
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2015
Journal article
New specimen and revision of the late Jurassic teleosaurid 'Steneosaurus’ megarhinus.
Teleosaurids were a successful group of semi-aquatic crocodylomorphs that were an abundant part of coastal marine/lagoonal faunas during the Jurassic. Their fossil record suggests that the group declined in diversity and abundance during the Late Jurassic. 'Steneosaurus’ megarhinus (Hulke, 1871) from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation is a little known gracile...Foffa, Davide ; Young, Mark T ; Brusatte, Stephen L ; Steel, Lorna
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2017
Journal article
An unusual small-bodied crocodyliform from the Middle Jurassic of Scotland, UK, and potential evidence for an early diversification of advanced neosuchians
The Middle Jurassic is a poorly sampled time interval for non-pelagic neosuchian crocodyliforms, which obscures our understanding of the origin and early evolution of major clades. Here we report a lower jaw from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Duntulm Formation of the Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK, which consists of an...Yi, Hongyu ; Tennant, Johnathan P ; Young, Mark T ; Challands, Thomas James ; Foffa, Davide …
Duntulm Formation, Neosuchia, Crocodyliformes, and Isle of Skye
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2015
Journal article
Sauropod dinosaur trackways in a Middle Jurassic lagoon on the Isle of Skye, Scotland
The Middle Jurassic was a dynamic interval in dinosaur evolution, but the dinosaur fossil record from this time is extremely poor throughout the world. The Isle of Skye (Scotland) preserves marginal marine and terrestrial deposits of Middle Jurassic age, which have yielded sparse bones, teeth, footprints and small segments of...Brusatte, Stephen L ; Challands, Thomas James ; Ross, Dugald A ; Young, Mark T ; Wilkinson, Mark
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2017
Journal article
A new metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic) of England, with implications for the origin and diversification of Geosaurini
Metriorhynchids are an extinct group of Jurassic–Cretaceous crocodylomorphs secondarily adapted to a marine lifestyle. A new metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the Oxford Clay Formation (Callovian, Middle Jurassic) of England is described. The specimen is a large, fragmentary skull and associated single ramus of a lower jaw uniquely preserved in a septarian...Foffa, Davide ; Young, Mark T ; Brusatte, Stephen L ; Graham, Mark R ; Steel, L
Geosaurus, Jurassic, macrophagy, Ieldraan, Melksham monster, and Geosaurini