Marine evolution: Tylosaurus

Neil Kelley, Smithsonian Institution
January 28, 2015
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Neil Kelley, Smithsonian Institution

Kelley’s new framework for understanding convergent evolution in marine mammals and reptiles could provide insights into the diets of extinct creatures that ruled the seas during the age of the dinosaurs, like this Tylosaurus. The research team used a novel, quantitative approach to compare dietary data of living marine species with measurements of their skulls and teeth and found that distantly related animals with shared diets evolved similar adaptations to successfully live in the sea. (Photo by Neil Kelley, Smithsonian Institution)