The L ate J urassic to E arly C retaceous interval represents a time of environmental
upheaval and cataclysmic events, combined with disruptions to terrestrial and marine …

Turtles (Testudinata) are the clade of amniotes characterized by a complete turtle shell. New
insights into the phylogeny of the group have revealed that a diverse assemblage of fossil …

Living turtles are characterized by extraordinarily low species diversity given their age. The
clade's extensive fossil record indicates that climate and biogeography may have played …

Vertebrate palaeontology is a lively field, with new discoveries reported every week... and
not only dinosaurs! This new edition reflects the international scope of vertebrate …

Over the last 25 years, researchers, mostly paleontologists, have developed a system of
rank-free, phylogenetically defined names for the primary clades of turtles. As these names …

Molecular analyses of turtle relationships have overturned prevailing morphological
hypotheses and prompted the development of a new taxonomy. Here we provide the first …

The origin of the turtle body plan remains one of the great mysteries of reptile evolution. The
anatomy of turtles is highly derived, which renders it difficult to establish the relationships of …

The labyrinth of the vertebrate inner ear is a sensory system that governs the perception of
head rotations. Central hypotheses predict that labyrinth shape and size are related to …

Evolutionary transitions to marine habitats occurred frequently among Mesozoic reptiles.
Only one such clade survives to the present: sea turtles (Chelonioidea). Other marine turtles …

Late Mesozoic palaeobiogeography has been characterized by a distinction between the
northern territories of Laurasia and the southern landmasses of Gondwana. The repeated …