COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Triassic-Jurassic Fossils and the Origin of the Crocodilian Skull

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Crocodilians and their closest relatives have an exceptional fossil record from the last 250 million years, documenting the origins of their many specializations. Here the PIs investigate for the first time the origins of the unique jaw-closing system that allows crocodilians to have the strongest bite force of any vertebrate, using biomechanical analyses integrated with a study of their evolutionary relationships. The PIs will also study how the size of air spaces in the skull relates to a dramatic increase in global temperatures and decrease in atmospheric oxygen at the end of the Triassic Period. The study seeks to determine whether the origin of features increasing bite force were related to the increase in air spaces in the skull, or whether these two signature adaptations of modern crocodilians evolved independently. Crocodilians are charismatic animals that lend themselves well to educational outreach, and this project will utilize the Smithsonian?s National Museum of Natural History's Q'rius learning center and University of Missouri's Inside Dinosaurs program as platforms to contribute to public scientific literacy and public engagement with science. The PIs and their students will engage in public presentations and develop interactive experiences based on 3D skulls printed from project CT scans. Collaboration with researchers in China will strengthen international collaboration.