Thus far we’ve outlined three adaptive zones among feliforms. But a fourth ecomorphology is conspicuously absent from their history, while being present among living carnivorans. Bears point toward another evolutionary channel: the Versatile Omnivore (VO). 70/n
September 13, 2026 at 4:03 AM
Thus far we’ve outlined three adaptive zones among feliforms. But a fourth ecomorphology is conspicuously absent from their history, while being present among living carnivorans. Bears point toward another evolutionary channel: the Versatile Omnivore (VO). 70/n
So what does the VO look like as an adaptive zone? The likely route out of the cataract for these lineages is one of large size, being an answer to what becomes of taxa that must now contend with large size metabolic demands but otherwise possess a generalized ecomorphology. 81/n
September 13, 2026 at 4:03 AM
So what does the VO look like as an adaptive zone? The likely route out of the cataract for these lineages is one of large size, being an answer to what becomes of taxa that must now contend with large size metabolic demands but otherwise possess a generalized ecomorphology. 81/n
And machaeroidines, “creodonts” that came before nimravids with sabertooth ecomorphology. 68/n
September 12, 2026 at 7:54 AM
And machaeroidines, “creodonts” that came before nimravids with sabertooth ecomorphology. 68/n
Felids and nimravids are all hypercarnivores, ranging in average species size from ~1 to >300 kg, and the best supported model of Brownian motion reflects there being no optimal size for this hypercarnivory, nor sabertooth ecomorphology. 50/n
September 12, 2026 at 7:54 AM
Felids and nimravids are all hypercarnivores, ranging in average species size from ~1 to >300 kg, and the best supported model of Brownian motion reflects there being no optimal size for this hypercarnivory, nor sabertooth ecomorphology. 50/n
The Soft Flesh Specialist (SFS) is the classic “cat-like” carnivore: short snout, large canines, powerful & dexterous forelimbs, flexible body, and slicing-dominated dentition. Remarkably, this ecomorphology appears very early in SFS lineages—and persists across body sizes. 52/n
September 12, 2026 at 7:54 AM
The Soft Flesh Specialist (SFS) is the classic “cat-like” carnivore: short snout, large canines, powerful & dexterous forelimbs, flexible body, and slicing-dominated dentition. Remarkably, this ecomorphology appears very early in SFS lineages—and persists across body sizes. 52/n
I heard you like clingfishes! Check out our new preprint on the evolution and ecomorphology of their adhesive discs and skull!
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org/10.64898/202...
September 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM
I heard you like clingfishes! Check out our new preprint on the evolution and ecomorphology of their adhesive discs and skull!
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org/10.64898/202...
IMHO, "wolf" and "jackal" also can be liberally used as the ecomorphology signifiers in the Canidae. They are historically kind off used de-facto in their taxonomy. Common names which enhance the visual, anatomical, and ecological understanding of taxa.
September 10, 2026 at 1:09 PM
IMHO, "wolf" and "jackal" also can be liberally used as the ecomorphology signifiers in the Canidae. They are historically kind off used de-facto in their taxonomy. Common names which enhance the visual, anatomical, and ecological understanding of taxa.
Does habitat use drive morphological variation in snakes? Our new study of over 400 species shows how distinct environments shape head and body traits, revealing a complex balance between adaptation and specialisation 🐍
Hudry & Herrel 2026
#Ecomorphology #SnakeEvolution
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Hudry & Herrel 2026
#Ecomorphology #SnakeEvolution
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
From head to tail: Does habitat use drive morphological variation in snakes?
Abstract. Convergence, defined as lineages evolving to be more similar to one another than their ancestors due to selective pressures is a hallmark of adap
doi.org
August 25, 2026 at 10:28 AM
Does habitat use drive morphological variation in snakes? Our new study of over 400 species shows how distinct environments shape head and body traits, revealing a complex balance between adaptation and specialisation 🐍
Hudry & Herrel 2026
#Ecomorphology #SnakeEvolution
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Hudry & Herrel 2026
#Ecomorphology #SnakeEvolution
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Open Access UCL Research: New Perspectives on Head and Neck Allometry and Ecomorphology in Tetrapods discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...
New Perspectives on Head and Neck Allometry and Ecomorphology in Tetrapods
-
UCL Discovery
UCL Discovery is UCL's open access repository, showcasing and providing access to UCL research outputs from all UCL disciplines.
discovery.ucl.ac.uk
August 21, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Open Access UCL Research: New Perspectives on Head and Neck Allometry and Ecomorphology in Tetrapods discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...
Surgeonfishes are cool! Our Evolution paper now out in final form, the amazing patterns of change in fish shape and covariance (new method!) elegantly revealed by @linnealungstrom.bsky.social
🐟🐠🦑🌿
academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
🐟🐠🦑🌿
academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
Phylogenetics, trait covariance analysis, and the evolution of fin and body shape in the surgeonfishes
Abstract. Insights into ecomorphology are enriched when investigating evolutionary correlations between ecologically and functionally important traits. How
academic.oup.com
August 16, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Surgeonfishes are cool! Our Evolution paper now out in final form, the amazing patterns of change in fish shape and covariance (new method!) elegantly revealed by @linnealungstrom.bsky.social
🐟🐠🦑🌿
academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
🐟🐠🦑🌿
academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
Reminder (Please Share & RT): Abstracts for SEB2024 meeting in Prague are due March 8th. If you work on #Biomechanics, #FunctionalMorphology, or #Ecomorphology in #plants or #animals, please submit to session A21, which I am programming, at: www.sebiology.org/events/seb-c...
SEB Conference Prague 2024
www.sebiology.org
March 6, 2024 at 7:13 PM
Reminder (Please Share & RT): Abstracts for SEB2024 meeting in Prague are due March 8th. If you work on #Biomechanics, #FunctionalMorphology, or #Ecomorphology in #plants or #animals, please submit to session A21, which I am programming, at: www.sebiology.org/events/seb-c...
Dinosaurs, including the ancestors of birds, developed speed-enhancing foot features over time, with some getting longer legs before specialized feet. This happened independently in different groups around 93-120 million years ago, showing nature’s push for better running skills.
Cursorial ecomorphology and temporal patterns in theropod dinosaur evolution during the mid-Cretaceous.
Published in Royal Society open science
doi.org
January 16, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Dinosaurs, including the ancestors of birds, developed speed-enhancing foot features over time, with some getting longer legs before specialized feet. This happened independently in different groups around 93-120 million years ago, showing nature’s push for better running skills.
arboreal rhynchocephalian from the Late Jurassic of Germany, and the importance of the appendicular skeleton for ecomorphology in lepidosaurs url: academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
An arboreal rhynchocephalian from the Late Jurassic of Germany, and the importance of the appendicular skeleton for ecomorphology in lepidosaurs
Abstract. Here, we describe a new species of Jurassic rhynchocephalian from the Solnhofen Archipelago, Sphenodraco scandentis gen. et sp. nov., and highlig
academic.oup.com
July 2, 2025 at 2:06 PM
arboreal rhynchocephalian from the Late Jurassic of Germany, and the importance of the appendicular skeleton for ecomorphology in lepidosaurs url: academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
Kubo K., Kobayashi Y. 2025. Cursorial ecomorphology and temporal patterns in theropod dinosaur evolution during the mid-Cretaceous. R. Soc. Open Sci. 12: 241178. doi.org/10.1098/rsos.241178
Cursorial ecomorphology and temporal patterns in theropod dinosaur evolution during the mid-Cretaceous | Royal Society Open Science
Coelurosauria, including modern birds, represents a successful group of theropod dinosaurs that established a high taxonomic diversity and significant morphological modifications. In the evolutionary history of this group, a specialized foot morphology, ...
doi.org
January 15, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Kubo K., Kobayashi Y. 2025. Cursorial ecomorphology and temporal patterns in theropod dinosaur evolution during the mid-Cretaceous. R. Soc. Open Sci. 12: 241178. doi.org/10.1098/rsos.241178
🚨 New Paper 🚨 - Landi et al. present a morphometric study on the morpho-functional diversity of beaked terrestrial tetrapods across the Permo-Triassic ⬇️
Great to see this published & have been a part of this project!
#Paleontology #Ecomorphology #Triassic #Science
dx.doi.org/10.1111/pala...
Great to see this published & have been a part of this project!
#Paleontology #Ecomorphology #Triassic #Science
dx.doi.org/10.1111/pala...
Beaks of the Permo‐Triassic: a morpho‐functional analysis at the dawn of a novel structure in tetrapod evolution
The Triassic was a unique time for beak evolution, as seen in a wide diversity of terrestrial tetrapods. Beaks were present in dicynodont synapsid survivors of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction even...
dx.doi.org
June 16, 2026 at 3:24 PM
🚨 New Paper 🚨 - Landi et al. present a morphometric study on the morpho-functional diversity of beaked terrestrial tetrapods across the Permo-Triassic ⬇️
Great to see this published & have been a part of this project!
#Paleontology #Ecomorphology #Triassic #Science
dx.doi.org/10.1111/pala...
Great to see this published & have been a part of this project!
#Paleontology #Ecomorphology #Triassic #Science
dx.doi.org/10.1111/pala...
If you’d like to learn more, then here’s a link to one of my papers on the ecology & evolution of carnivorous #synapsids through the #Carboniferous & #Permian ⬇️ It’s open access so freely available to read:
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
#paleontology #science
🧵 End.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
#paleontology #science
🧵 End.
Predatory synapsid ecomorphology signals growing dynamism of late Palaeozoic terrestrial ecosystems - Communications Biology
An ecometric study of carnivorous stem mammals across their heyday in the late Palaeozoic finds distinct shifts in their feeding anatomy that suggest increasingly dynamic behaviours and interactions, ...
www.nature.com
June 30, 2025 at 1:04 PM
If you’d like to learn more, then here’s a link to one of my papers on the ecology & evolution of carnivorous #synapsids through the #Carboniferous & #Permian ⬇️ It’s open access so freely available to read:
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
#paleontology #science
🧵 End.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
#paleontology #science
🧵 End.
An interesting finding from this paper showing a shift in mammalian carnivore dentitions towards more blade-like teeth from the Eocene-Oligocene transition onwards, associated with the spread of open environments.
#Cenozoic #Paleontology #Palaeobiology #Mammals
#Cenozoic #Paleontology #Palaeobiology #Mammals
Cenozoic climate change and the evolution of North American mammalian predator ecomorphology | Paleobiology | Cambridge Core
Cenozoic climate change and the evolution of North American mammalian predator ecomorphology
www.cambridge.org
October 1, 2024 at 12:34 PM
An interesting finding from this paper showing a shift in mammalian carnivore dentitions towards more blade-like teeth from the Eocene-Oligocene transition onwards, associated with the spread of open environments.
#Cenozoic #Paleontology #Palaeobiology #Mammals
#Cenozoic #Paleontology #Palaeobiology #Mammals
Interesting new #ecomorphology paper from the Bristol Palaeobiology Research Group on the jaw #biomechanics of tyrannosaur dinosaurs 🦖
How did biting performance change as tyrannosaurs evolved larger body sizes?
Read here:
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
#Paleontology #Dinosaur #Science #SciComm
How did biting performance change as tyrannosaurs evolved larger body sizes?
Read here:
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
#Paleontology #Dinosaur #Science #SciComm
Morphological evolution and functional consequences of giantism in tyrannosauroid dinosaurs
Evolutionary biology; Natural sciences; Paleobiology
www.cell.com
August 29, 2024 at 8:38 AM
Interesting new #ecomorphology paper from the Bristol Palaeobiology Research Group on the jaw #biomechanics of tyrannosaur dinosaurs 🦖
How did biting performance change as tyrannosaurs evolved larger body sizes?
Read here:
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
#Paleontology #Dinosaur #Science #SciComm
How did biting performance change as tyrannosaurs evolved larger body sizes?
Read here:
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
#Paleontology #Dinosaur #Science #SciComm
For #FossilFriday, I thought I’d share my paper published earlier this year on the #macroevolution of carnivorous non-mammalian synapsids: www.nature.com/articles/s42...
May be of interest if you’re curious about the feeding morphology & ecology of Permian predators like Inostrancevia & Dimetrodon
May be of interest if you’re curious about the feeding morphology & ecology of Permian predators like Inostrancevia & Dimetrodon
August 16, 2024 at 5:30 PM
For #FossilFriday, I thought I’d share my paper published earlier this year on the #macroevolution of carnivorous non-mammalian synapsids: www.nature.com/articles/s42...
May be of interest if you’re curious about the feeding morphology & ecology of Permian predators like Inostrancevia & Dimetrodon
May be of interest if you’re curious about the feeding morphology & ecology of Permian predators like Inostrancevia & Dimetrodon
Hi everyone!
I'm RC, I am a fishes and fieldwork enthusiast working on ecomorphology and micro-CT scan data.
Find me in Minnesota!
I'm RC, I am a fishes and fieldwork enthusiast working on ecomorphology and micro-CT scan data.
Find me in Minnesota!
I'm extremely excited to announce that I am joining The Covergence Lab with @kassthefish at @UMNFWCB in the spring! Looking forward to conducting more fish morphology research!
September 26, 2023 at 7:29 PM
Hi everyone!
I'm RC, I am a fishes and fieldwork enthusiast working on ecomorphology and micro-CT scan data.
Find me in Minnesota!
I'm RC, I am a fishes and fieldwork enthusiast working on ecomorphology and micro-CT scan data.
Find me in Minnesota!
Über die Evolution des Arctometatarsus, einer speziellen Fußanpassung bei Theropoden.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Cursorial ecomorphology and temporal patterns in theropod dinosaur evolution during the mid-Cretaceous | Royal Society Open Science
Coelurosauria, including modern birds, represents a successful group of theropod dinosaurs that established a high taxonomic diversity and significant morphological modifications. In the evolutionary history of this group, a specialized foot morphology, ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
January 16, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Über die Evolution des Arctometatarsus, einer speziellen Fußanpassung bei Theropoden.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
I am also grateful to Emily Cunningham and Amelia Hersant for their help during data collection and being great morale boosters!
*The specimens in these images are preserved museum specimens used for scientific study.
(7/7)
#DeepSea #SharkResearch #Ecomorphology #DeepSeaSharks #MarineBiology
*The specimens in these images are preserved museum specimens used for scientific study.
(7/7)
#DeepSea #SharkResearch #Ecomorphology #DeepSeaSharks #MarineBiology
May 4, 2026 at 7:30 AM
I am also grateful to Emily Cunningham and Amelia Hersant for their help during data collection and being great morale boosters!
*The specimens in these images are preserved museum specimens used for scientific study.
(7/7)
#DeepSea #SharkResearch #Ecomorphology #DeepSeaSharks #MarineBiology
*The specimens in these images are preserved museum specimens used for scientific study.
(7/7)
#DeepSea #SharkResearch #Ecomorphology #DeepSeaSharks #MarineBiology
6 variables quantified ecomorphology.
October 19, 2023 at 4:07 PM
6 variables quantified ecomorphology.
Niche defined by: size, isotope, 3D dental ecomorphology.
October 19, 2023 at 4:03 PM
Niche defined by: size, isotope, 3D dental ecomorphology.