A new study provides many new insights into the biology of the prehistoric gigantic shark megalodon (megatooth shark), which ...

Explore the fascinating process of python digestion and how these reptiles regenerate their intestines after every meal.

A major event in vertebrate evolution was the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life, made possible by the emergence of new structures such as limbs and the neck. In an article published in ...

When vertebrates moved onto land, long ago, some of them eventually became airborne, way after the insects did. There are ...

A fossil analysis suggests that the yunnanozoan, a wormlike fish that flourished around 520 million years ago, sported structures that were the precursors of the head and jaws of modern vertebrates.

The face is one of the most distinctive features of vertebrates, diverged widely among species while maintaining a highly ...

This story appears in the October 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. From scales to feathers to fur, vertebrates clothe themselves in a dazzling variety of textures and hues. But ...

Challenging the long-standing belief that fibroblasts produce skin collagen, researchers have investigated collagen formation in the 'glass-skinned' amphibian axolotl and other vertebrates. They ...

The Paleontology Section continues to actively collect and conduct research on fossil vertebrates from the Cenozoic of the Rocky Mountain region.

Jawed vertebrates known as gnathostomes appear to be the first creatures with the synovial joints, according to Shubin. These joint cavities can be seen in cartilaginous fish such as skates or sharks.

Marine vertebrates must surface to transmit data (Holland et al. 2009). Tri-axial accelerometer tags record detailed three-dimensional movements of tagged animals. This generates a thorough ...