ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2020
Inner ear sensory system changes as extinct crocodylomorphs transitioned from land to water.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
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29 citing papers in PubMed, 84 citations in OpenAlex.
- Computed tomography reveals the endocranial anatomy of Crocodylia: Implications for phylogenetic relationships and ecomorphological convergence across Crocodylomorpha.Journal of anatomy · 2026Article
- Evolutionary modularity of the primate vestibular system: Morphological distinction of otolithic and canalicular organs.PNAS nexus · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the endocranial anatomy of the early Paleogene north African gavialoid crocodylian Argochampsa krebsi and evolutionary implications for adaptation to salinity tolerance in marine crocodyliforms.Journal of anatomy · 2025Article
- Size, not phylogeny, explains the morphology of the endosseous labyrinth in the crown clade Crocodylia.Journal of anatomy · 2025Article
- Endocranial anatomy and phylogenetic position of the crocodylian Eosuchus lerichei from the late Paleocene of northwestern Europe and potential adaptations for transoceanic dispersal in gavialoids.Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · 2025Article
- Evolutionary analysis of genes associated with the sense of balance in semi-aquatic mammals.BMC ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Skull sinuses precluded extinct crocodile relatives from cetacean-style deep diving as they transitioned from land to sea.Royal Society open science · 2024Article
- New insights into the early morphological evolution of sea turtles by re-investigation ofSwiss journal of palaeontology · 2024Article
- Digital skull anatomy of the Oligocene North American tortoiseSwiss journal of palaeontology · 2024Article
- Evolutionary ecomorphology for the twenty-first century: examples from mammalian carnivores.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Review
- The neuroanatomy and pneumaticity of Hamadasuchus (Crocodylomorpha, Peirosauridae) from the Cretaceous of Morocco and its paleoecological significance for altirostral forms.Journal of anatomy · 2023Article
- Neuroanatomy of the crocodylian Tomistoma dowsoni from the Miocene of North Africa provides insights into the evolutionary history of gavialoids.Journal of anatomy · 2023Article
- Modified skulls but conservative brains? The palaeoneurology and endocranial anatomy of baryonychine dinosaurs (Theropoda: Spinosauridae).Journal of anatomy · 2023Article
- Neuroanatomy of the crocodylomorph Portugalosuchus azenhae from the late cretaceous of Portugal.Journal of anatomy · 2023Article
- Ecomorphological patterns in trigeminal canal branching among sauropsids reveal sensory shift in suchians.Journal of anatomy · 2023Article
- Semicircular canal shape diversity among modern lepidosaurs: life habit, size, allometry.BMC ecology and evolution · 2023Article
- Article
- Unique trackway on Permian Karoo shoreline provides evidence of temnospondyl locomotory behaviour.PloS one · 2023Article
- Evidence for a novel cranial thermoregulatory pathway in thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs.PeerJ · 2023Article
- Article
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22 authors at 15 institutions in 7 countries.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Major evolutionary transitions, in which animals develop new body plans and adapt to dramatically new habitats and lifestyles, have punctuated the history of life. The origin of cetaceans from land-living mammals is among the most famous of these events. Much earlier, during the Mesozoic Era, many reptile groups also moved from land to water, but these transitions are more poorly understood. We use computed tomography to study changes in the inner ear vestibular system, involved in sensing balance and equilibrium, as one of these groups, extinct crocodile relatives called thalattosuchians, transitioned from terrestrial ancestors into pelagic (open ocean) swimmers. We find that the morphology of the vestibular system corresponds to habitat, with pelagic thalattosuchians exhibiting a more compact labyrinth with wider semicircular canal diameters and an enlarged vestibule, reminiscent of modified and miniaturized labyrinths of other marine reptiles and cetaceans. Pelagic thalattosuchians with modified inner ears were the culmination of an evolutionary trend with a long semiaquatic phase, and their pelagic vestibular systems appeared after the first changes to the postcranial skeleton that enhanced their ability to swim. This is strikingly different from cetaceans, which miniaturized their labyrinths soon after entering the water, without a prolonged semiaquatic stage. Thus, thalattosuchians and cetaceans became secondarily aquatic in different ways and at different paces, showing that there are different routes for the same type of transition.
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