RT Journal Article
T1 Morphological convergence obscures functional diversity in sabre-toothed carnivores
A1 Lautenschlager, Stephan
A1 Figueirido-Castillo, Francisco Borja
A1 Cashmore, Daniel
A1 Bendel, Eva-Maria
A1 Stubbs, Thomas L.
K1 Evolución (Biología)
AB The acquisition of elongated, sabre-like canines in multiple vertebrate cladesduring the last 265 Myr represents a remarkable example for convergentevolution. Due to striking superficial similarities in the cranial skeleton,the same or similar skull and jaw functions have been inferred for sabre-toothed species and interpreted as an adaptation to subdue large-bodiedprey. However, although some sabre-tooth lineages have been classifiedinto different ecomorphs (dirk-tooths and scimitar-tooths) the functionaldiversity within and between groups and the evolutionary paths leadingto these specializations are unknown. Here, we use a suite of biomechanicalsimulations to analyse key functional parameters (mandibular gape angle,bending strength, bite force) to compare the functional performance ofdifferent groups and to quantify evolutionary rates across sabre-tooth ver-tebrates. Our results demonstrate a remarkably high functional diversitybetween sabre-tooth lineages and that different cranial function and preykilling strategies evolved within clades. Moreover, different biomechanicaladaptations in coexisting sabre-tooth species further suggest that thisfunctional diversity was at least partially driven by niche partitioning
PB Royal Society
YR 2020
FD 2020-09-30
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/29582
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/29582
LA eng
NO Lautenschlager S, Figueirido B, Cashmore DD, Bendel E-M, Stubbs TL. 2020 Morphological convergence obscures functional diversity in sabre-toothed carnivores. Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20201818. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1818
NO Copyright de los autores
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación: GL2015-68300P , GL2017-92166-EXP; Junta de Andalucía. UMA18-FEDERJA-188
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 12 abr 2026