The exceptional levels of biodiversity found today in the American tropics are the outcome of
tens of millions of years of evolution, shaped by the tumultuous geological history of the …

Abstract In the Miocene (23–5 Ma), a large wetland known as the Pebas System
characterized western Amazonia. During the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (c. 17–15 …

There is a considerable controversy about whether western Amazonia was ever covered by
marine waters during the Miocene [23 to 5 Ma (million years ago)]. We investigated the …

The fossil record of crocodylians and their relatives (pseudosuchians) reveals a rich
evolutionary history, prompting questions about causes of long-term decline to their present …

We provide a synopsis of~ 60 million years of life history in Neotropical lowlands, based on
a comprehensive survey of the Cenozoic deposits along the Quebrada Cachiyacu near …

First appearing in the latest Cretaceous, Crocodylia is a clade of semi-aquatic, predatory
reptiles, defined by the last common ancestor of extant alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and …

Understanding the origin, expansion and loss of biodiversity is fundamental to evolutionary
biology. The approximately 26 living species of crocodylomorphs (crocodiles, caimans …

Amazonia (defined herein as the Amazon basin) is home to the greatest concentration of
biodiversity on Earth, providing unique genetic resources and ecological functions that …

Aim Paleogeographic changes have had profound effects on the evolution and diversity of
the Neotropical biota. However, the influence of marine incursions on the origin …

Several dolphin lineages have independently invaded freshwater systems. Among these,
the evolution of the South Asian river dolphin Platanista and its relatives (Platanistidae) …