Evolution and Paleobiology of Early Cretaceous Terrestrial Vertebrates from Texas

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The early Cretaceous was an interval of geologic time that witnessed the diversification of mammals and flowering plants, and the first extinctions leading to the disappearance of dinosaurs. Vertebrate fossils of this age are not common in North America, and Dr. Dale Winkler proposes to excavate and prepare an important collection of early Cretaceous fossils from north-central Texas. The specimens of dinosaurs are extraordinarily well-preserved, representing a variety of taxa in a range of growth stages. Quantitative analysis of development will be pursued following the collection and curation phases of the project. Amphibians, other reptiles, and mammals are also represented at the targeted localities. The proposed research has the potential to fill an important gap in our knowledge of vertebrate evolution. The excellent preservation of the vertebrates in this area will illuminate both the details of growth in several dinosaurs and the diversity of the vertebrate assemblage as a whole. The results of this work will be of interest to paleontologists, paleoecologists, and evolutionary biologists in general.