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Thalattosuchia is a specialised group of longirostrine, marine-adapted crocodiles known from the early Jurassic to the early Cretaceous. It comprises the near-shore Teleosauridae and pelagic Metriorhynchidae. The relationship of Pelagosaurus typus to these has long been a source of contention, but recent phylogenetic analyses suggest that Pelagosaurus is a teleosaurid. Learn more about this gharial-like creature by reading the new DigiMorph account by Dr. Stephanie Pierce of the Royal Veterinary College, London.
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| Anomalepidid Snakes, Liotyphlops and Typhlophis | 12-Jan-2009 |  |
| Anomalepidids potentially are the most 'primitive' extant snakes, yet little is known of their cranial anatomy. Their study is complicated by their very small size (this skull is just over 4 mm in length) and poor representation in collections. A newly published paper by Rieppel, Kley and Maisano provides a detailed description of the cranial anatomy of two anomalepidid species and draws comparisons with two other scolecophidians, Leptotyphlops and Typhlops.
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| Three-toed Sloth, Bradypus variegatus | 22-Dec-2008 |  |
| The three-toed sloth has small eyes, unnoticeable ears, and forelimbs that are about one and a half times longer than its hind limbs, giving this mammal a comic appeal. Inhabiting the tropical forests of Honduras to northern Argentina, Bradypus variegatus carries out all daily life activities while upside down except for elimination of wastes, for which it must descend to the ground about once a week. Bradypodidae can be diagnosed by cranial characteristics including a short rostrum, a dorso-ventrally flattened skull, and mandibles with conspicuous coronoid processes. Learn more about the three-toed sloth by reading this DigiMorph account, featuring all-new CT imagery.
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| Mespilia globulus, Globe Urchin | 08-Dec-2008 |  |
| The globe or sphere urchin, Mespilia globulus, grows up to 6-8 cm in diameter. It inhabits tropical waters in southern China, the Indian Ocean, Philippines, and the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Mespilia is one of a growing number of sea urchins that can be found on DigiMorph, thanks to the efforts of Alexander Ziegler at Freie Universitaet Berlin and Lou Zachos at The University of Texas at Austin. Lou also made available an embryonic green sea urchin to showcase the capabilities of the new scanner at UTCT; this imagery can be seen by clicking here.
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| Rainbow Wrasse, Halichoeres pictus | 17-Nov-2008 |  |
| The rainbow wrasse, Halichoeres pictus, is a member of Perciformes, a clade comprising more than 9000 species that accounts for more than a third of all fish diversity. There are about 500 species of wrasses, ranging in size from 4.5 cm to 2.3 m. They occur in tropical and warm-temperate waters. Learn more about H. pictus by reading this DigiMorph account.
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| Anas platyrhynchos, Domestic Duck | 03-Nov-2008 |  |
| The domestic duck is a member of Anatidae, a clade comprising 157 species of ducks, geese and swans. Ducks can be found almost anywhere in the world, prefering a habitat of wetlands that include an abundance of vegetation. They eat a large variety of foods including vegetation, insects, worms, gastropods and arthropods. Learn more about Anas platyrhynchos by reading this DigiMorph account.
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