Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Liu J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5316873 | biostudies-other | 2017 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Liu Jun J Organ Chris L CL Benton Michael J MJ Brandley Matthew C MC Aitchison Jonathan C JC
Nature communications 20170214
Live birth has evolved many times independently in vertebrates, such as mammals and diverse groups of lizards and snakes. However, live birth is unknown in the major clade Archosauromorpha, a group that first evolved some 260 million years ago and is represented today by birds and crocodilians. Here we report the discovery of a pregnant long-necked marine reptile (Dinocephalosaurus) from the Middle Triassic (∼245 million years ago) of southwest China showing live birth in archosauromorphs. Our d ...[more]