Prof. Christine Böhmer
@vertevo.bsky.social
Palaebiologist | Paläobiologin |
Research | Forschung @kieluni 🇩🇪🇪🇺
#Palaeontology #Zoology #Evolution #Anatomy #Vertebrae #Archosaurs 🐊🐦🐀 @BoehmerGroup
Research | Forschung @kieluni 🇩🇪🇪🇺
#Palaeontology #Zoology #Evolution #Anatomy #Vertebrae #Archosaurs 🐊🐦🐀 @BoehmerGroup
Pinned
Feral rabbits exhibit morphologies as seen in domesticated or wild forms, but may also exhibit intermediate ones.
Sherratt et al 2025 From wild to domestic and in between: how #domestication and #feralization changed the morphology of #rabbits @royalsocietypublishing.org doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Sherratt et al 2025 From wild to domestic and in between: how #domestication and #feralization changed the morphology of #rabbits @royalsocietypublishing.org doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
🦎✨ New research delivers the 1st full 3D anatomical atlases of the veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)! Open-access atlases + lesson plans offer powerful new tools for studying reptile evolution and teaching comparative anatomy.
Leavey et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Leavey et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
November 19, 2025 at 12:30 PM
🦎✨ New research delivers the 1st full 3D anatomical atlases of the veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)! Open-access atlases + lesson plans offer powerful new tools for studying reptile evolution and teaching comparative anatomy.
Leavey et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Leavey et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Buffa et al.’s paper on the enigmatic Permian reptile 🦎 Galesphyrus and the origin of Neodiapsida is out in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology! Read the thread 👇 for some important takeaways from our study
@valentinbuffa.bsky.social
#Paleontology #Reptile #Permian
doi.org/10.1080/1477...
@valentinbuffa.bsky.social
#Paleontology #Reptile #Permian
doi.org/10.1080/1477...
November 18, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Buffa et al.’s paper on the enigmatic Permian reptile 🦎 Galesphyrus and the origin of Neodiapsida is out in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology! Read the thread 👇 for some important takeaways from our study
@valentinbuffa.bsky.social
#Paleontology #Reptile #Permian
doi.org/10.1080/1477...
@valentinbuffa.bsky.social
#Paleontology #Reptile #Permian
doi.org/10.1080/1477...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Dinosaur skull geometry does not follow functional optimisation trends but facilitates adaptability: iScience www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Dinosaur skull geometry does not follow functional optimisation trends but facilitates adaptability
Dinosaurs exhibited a remarkable array of skull shapes and sizes. However, the geometry
of the cranial skeleton and its different functional units (rostrum, orbital region,
braincase) has not been qua...
www.cell.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Dinosaur skull geometry does not follow functional optimisation trends but facilitates adaptability: iScience www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!
Can hybridization explain the evolution of plumage patterns in black-and-white wagtails?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/11/19/c...
Based on the Systematic Biology paper by Loïc Rancilhac and his colleagues | #ornithology
Can hybridization explain the evolution of plumage patterns in black-and-white wagtails?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/11/19/c...
Based on the Systematic Biology paper by Loïc Rancilhac and his colleagues | #ornithology
Can hybridization explain the evolution of plumage patterns in black-and-white wagtails?
A reticulated phylogeny provides extra challenges to answer this question.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:22 AM
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!
Can hybridization explain the evolution of plumage patterns in black-and-white wagtails?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/11/19/c...
Based on the Systematic Biology paper by Loïc Rancilhac and his colleagues | #ornithology
Can hybridization explain the evolution of plumage patterns in black-and-white wagtails?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2025/11/19/c...
Based on the Systematic Biology paper by Loïc Rancilhac and his colleagues | #ornithology
Optic nerves of adult #chameleons are proportionally long and have a unique coiled path allowing independent #eye movement.
Collins et al 2025 Scientific Reports. A new twist in the evolution of chameleons uncovers an extremely specialized optic nerve morphology. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Collins et al 2025 Scientific Reports. A new twist in the evolution of chameleons uncovers an extremely specialized optic nerve morphology. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
November 19, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Optic nerves of adult #chameleons are proportionally long and have a unique coiled path allowing independent #eye movement.
Collins et al 2025 Scientific Reports. A new twist in the evolution of chameleons uncovers an extremely specialized optic nerve morphology. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Collins et al 2025 Scientific Reports. A new twist in the evolution of chameleons uncovers an extremely specialized optic nerve morphology. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Viviparous reproduction in #anurans - a extremely rare trait.
Thrane et al 2025 Vertebrate Zoology. Museomics and integrative taxonomy reveal three new species of glandular viviparous tree #toads (Nectophrynoides) in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains (Anura: Bufonidae)
doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...
Thrane et al 2025 Vertebrate Zoology. Museomics and integrative taxonomy reveal three new species of glandular viviparous tree #toads (Nectophrynoides) in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains (Anura: Bufonidae)
doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...
November 10, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Viviparous reproduction in #anurans - a extremely rare trait.
Thrane et al 2025 Vertebrate Zoology. Museomics and integrative taxonomy reveal three new species of glandular viviparous tree #toads (Nectophrynoides) in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains (Anura: Bufonidae)
doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...
Thrane et al 2025 Vertebrate Zoology. Museomics and integrative taxonomy reveal three new species of glandular viviparous tree #toads (Nectophrynoides) in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains (Anura: Bufonidae)
doi.org/10.3897/vz.7...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
A glimpse into a vanished ecosystem: reconstructing diet and palaeoenvironment of Palaeoloxodon from the Pleistocene of Taiwan
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
A glimpse into a vanished ecosystem: reconstructing diet and palaeoenvironment of Palaeoloxodon from the Pleistocene of Taiwan | Royal Society Open Science
Palaeoloxodon is the largest known terrestrial mammal in the history of Taiwan. However, little
is known about the palaeoecology and palaeoenvironment of these extinct proboscideans.
In this study, we...
royalsocietypublishing.org
November 8, 2025 at 5:19 PM
A glimpse into a vanished ecosystem: reconstructing diet and palaeoenvironment of Palaeoloxodon from the Pleistocene of Taiwan
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Great expectations: altricial developmental strategies are associated with more flexible evolution of limb skeleton proportions in birds | royalsocietypublishi... | Proceedings of the Royal Society B | #ornithology 🪶
October 16, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Great expectations: altricial developmental strategies are associated with more flexible evolution of limb skeleton proportions in birds | royalsocietypublishi... | Proceedings of the Royal Society B | #ornithology 🪶
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Morphological Evolution in Island Birds Is Associated With More Terrestrial Lifestyles and a Lower Number of Raptors and Intra‐Family Competitors | onlinelibrary.wiley.... | Global Ecology and Biogeography | #ornithology #RaptorResearch 🪶
November 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Morphological Evolution in Island Birds Is Associated With More Terrestrial Lifestyles and a Lower Number of Raptors and Intra‐Family Competitors | onlinelibrary.wiley.... | Global Ecology and Biogeography | #ornithology #RaptorResearch 🪶
Study on high-altitude #birds with increased hemoglobin-oxygen affinity shows that adaptive solutions are contingent on prior evolutionary history.
Natarajan et al (2016) @science.org Predictable convergence in hemoglobin function has unpredictable molecular underpinnings
doi.org/10.1126/scie...
Natarajan et al (2016) @science.org Predictable convergence in hemoglobin function has unpredictable molecular underpinnings
doi.org/10.1126/scie...
November 8, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Study on high-altitude #birds with increased hemoglobin-oxygen affinity shows that adaptive solutions are contingent on prior evolutionary history.
Natarajan et al (2016) @science.org Predictable convergence in hemoglobin function has unpredictable molecular underpinnings
doi.org/10.1126/scie...
Natarajan et al (2016) @science.org Predictable convergence in hemoglobin function has unpredictable molecular underpinnings
doi.org/10.1126/scie...
Behavioral #plasticity: First documentation of systematic predation on #bats by #rats.
Gloza-Rausch et al 2025 Global Ecology and Conservation. Active predation by brown #rats on #bats at urban mass hibernacula in Northern #Germany: Conservation and one health implications
doi.org/10.1016/j.ge...
Gloza-Rausch et al 2025 Global Ecology and Conservation. Active predation by brown #rats on #bats at urban mass hibernacula in Northern #Germany: Conservation and one health implications
doi.org/10.1016/j.ge...
November 6, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Behavioral #plasticity: First documentation of systematic predation on #bats by #rats.
Gloza-Rausch et al 2025 Global Ecology and Conservation. Active predation by brown #rats on #bats at urban mass hibernacula in Northern #Germany: Conservation and one health implications
doi.org/10.1016/j.ge...
Gloza-Rausch et al 2025 Global Ecology and Conservation. Active predation by brown #rats on #bats at urban mass hibernacula in Northern #Germany: Conservation and one health implications
doi.org/10.1016/j.ge...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
New #AmniotaLab research!
Faysal Bibi and Jean-Renaud Boisserie describe a fossil buffalo from Ethiopia, revealing how early members of the lineage evolved into today’s African buffalo 🐃
paleo.peercommunityin.org/PCIPaleo/art...
Faysal Bibi and Jean-Renaud Boisserie describe a fossil buffalo from Ethiopia, revealing how early members of the lineage evolved into today’s African buffalo 🐃
paleo.peercommunityin.org/PCIPaleo/art...
November 4, 2025 at 11:45 AM
New #AmniotaLab research!
Faysal Bibi and Jean-Renaud Boisserie describe a fossil buffalo from Ethiopia, revealing how early members of the lineage evolved into today’s African buffalo 🐃
paleo.peercommunityin.org/PCIPaleo/art...
Faysal Bibi and Jean-Renaud Boisserie describe a fossil buffalo from Ethiopia, revealing how early members of the lineage evolved into today’s African buffalo 🐃
paleo.peercommunityin.org/PCIPaleo/art...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Why extant, not extinct?
A new JSP paper by Sorbelli 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. describes an extinct 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙖 species (Anura: Discoglossidae) from the Early Pleistocene of the Apennine Peninsula—offering fresh clues on how the genus survived in Eurasia.
Read more: buff.ly/NGVelt5 #Paleosky @amniotalab.bsky.social
A new JSP paper by Sorbelli 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. describes an extinct 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙖 species (Anura: Discoglossidae) from the Early Pleistocene of the Apennine Peninsula—offering fresh clues on how the genus survived in Eurasia.
Read more: buff.ly/NGVelt5 #Paleosky @amniotalab.bsky.social
October 20, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Why extant, not extinct?
A new JSP paper by Sorbelli 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. describes an extinct 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙖 species (Anura: Discoglossidae) from the Early Pleistocene of the Apennine Peninsula—offering fresh clues on how the genus survived in Eurasia.
Read more: buff.ly/NGVelt5 #Paleosky @amniotalab.bsky.social
A new JSP paper by Sorbelli 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. describes an extinct 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙖 species (Anura: Discoglossidae) from the Early Pleistocene of the Apennine Peninsula—offering fresh clues on how the genus survived in Eurasia.
Read more: buff.ly/NGVelt5 #Paleosky @amniotalab.bsky.social
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
A paper in Scientific Reports presents the origins of vivid colours within the gemstone ammolite — a rare type of brightly coloured fossilised ammonite shell. go.nature.com/48OT5DX #Paleosky ⚒️ 🧪
November 5, 2025 at 2:09 AM
A paper in Scientific Reports presents the origins of vivid colours within the gemstone ammolite — a rare type of brightly coloured fossilised ammonite shell. go.nature.com/48OT5DX #Paleosky ⚒️ 🧪
Remarkable #cancer resistance of the bowhead #whale arises from its enhanced ability to maintain genome integrity through enhanced DNA repair.
Firsanov et al 2025 @nature.com Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Firsanov et al 2025 @nature.com Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
November 5, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Remarkable #cancer resistance of the bowhead #whale arises from its enhanced ability to maintain genome integrity through enhanced DNA repair.
Firsanov et al 2025 @nature.com Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Firsanov et al 2025 @nature.com Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Issue 20 has closed and issue 21 is open
journals.biologists.com/jeb/issue/22...
The front cover showing two giraffes accompanies Seymour and Snelling's Theory & Modelling article discussing how the animals' long legs have raised their hearts to reduce the cost of pumping blood to their heads
journals.biologists.com/jeb/issue/22...
The front cover showing two giraffes accompanies Seymour and Snelling's Theory & Modelling article discussing how the animals' long legs have raised their hearts to reduce the cost of pumping blood to their heads
November 3, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Issue 20 has closed and issue 21 is open
journals.biologists.com/jeb/issue/22...
The front cover showing two giraffes accompanies Seymour and Snelling's Theory & Modelling article discussing how the animals' long legs have raised their hearts to reduce the cost of pumping blood to their heads
journals.biologists.com/jeb/issue/22...
The front cover showing two giraffes accompanies Seymour and Snelling's Theory & Modelling article discussing how the animals' long legs have raised their hearts to reduce the cost of pumping blood to their heads
Unusual low-risk/high-gain strategy in small #bats: Short search and pursuit times with high hunting success rates and targeting prey approaching their own body size of 30 g.
Baier et al 2025 @currentbiology.bsky.social Extreme hunting efficiency in a carnivorous bat
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
Baier et al 2025 @currentbiology.bsky.social Extreme hunting efficiency in a carnivorous bat
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
November 4, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Unusual low-risk/high-gain strategy in small #bats: Short search and pursuit times with high hunting success rates and targeting prey approaching their own body size of 30 g.
Baier et al 2025 @currentbiology.bsky.social Extreme hunting efficiency in a carnivorous bat
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
Baier et al 2025 @currentbiology.bsky.social Extreme hunting efficiency in a carnivorous bat
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
🦣 New discoveries at Mammoth Site USA: 2 foot elements— “predigit” & fused sesamoids—found 1st time in extinct elephants. Long known in modern elephants they reveal ancient adaptations for supporting massive land giants
Gardner et al anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#FossilFriday
Gardner et al anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#FossilFriday
August 8, 2025 at 12:01 PM
🦣 New discoveries at Mammoth Site USA: 2 foot elements— “predigit” & fused sesamoids—found 1st time in extinct elephants. Long known in modern elephants they reveal ancient adaptations for supporting massive land giants
Gardner et al anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#FossilFriday
Gardner et al anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#FossilFriday
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
New paper by Guilherme Hermanson & me out: we explore ontogenetic shell shape change in turtles to check if there is a size threshold at which turtles reach adult shapes. This started for a different (in prep) study & was a fun little project w preliminary data
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
PG-18: turtles reach adult shell shapes at about 65% maximum carapace length - Swiss Journal of Palaeontology
Ontogenetic shell shape changes of turtles are often only documented for individual species. It is currently unclear how shell shape changes during ontogeny across species, if there are common trends,...
link.springer.com
August 5, 2025 at 8:24 PM
New paper by Guilherme Hermanson & me out: we explore ontogenetic shell shape change in turtles to check if there is a size threshold at which turtles reach adult shapes. This started for a different (in prep) study & was a fun little project w preliminary data
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Multitaxic #dinosaur footprint assemblage from Dinosaur Park Formation incl. ceratopsid and ankylosaurian tracks
Bell et al 2025 @plosone.org
A ceratopsid-dominated tracksite from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Bell et al 2025 @plosone.org
A ceratopsid-dominated tracksite from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
July 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Multitaxic #dinosaur footprint assemblage from Dinosaur Park Formation incl. ceratopsid and ankylosaurian tracks
Bell et al 2025 @plosone.org
A ceratopsid-dominated tracksite from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Bell et al 2025 @plosone.org
A ceratopsid-dominated tracksite from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
I am proud and grateful to present a dream project today in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Meet #Mirasaura grauvogeli, a #wonderreptilewith skin appendages that rival feathers and hairs, challenging our view of reptile #evolution🪶🦎
Meet #Mirasaura grauvogeli, a #wonderreptilewith skin appendages that rival feathers and hairs, challenging our view of reptile #evolution🪶🦎
July 23, 2025 at 3:16 PM
I am proud and grateful to present a dream project today in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Meet #Mirasaura grauvogeli, a #wonderreptilewith skin appendages that rival feathers and hairs, challenging our view of reptile #evolution🪶🦎
Meet #Mirasaura grauvogeli, a #wonderreptilewith skin appendages that rival feathers and hairs, challenging our view of reptile #evolution🪶🦎
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Oh! Another paper! From @camillebader.bsky.social Camille Bader's PhD, with Alexandra Houssaye @houssayecnrs.bsky.social. Elephant limb bone microanatomy reflects bone function and posture.
Paper:
academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
Tons of CT scan DICOM files:
figshare.com/articles/dat...
Paper:
academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
Tons of CT scan DICOM files:
figshare.com/articles/dat...
Long-bone microanatomy in elephants: microstructural insights into gigantic beasts
Abstract. One of the greatest challenges of terrestrial locomotion is resisting gravity. The morphological adaptive features of the limb long-bones of exta
academic.oup.com
July 24, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Oh! Another paper! From @camillebader.bsky.social Camille Bader's PhD, with Alexandra Houssaye @houssayecnrs.bsky.social. Elephant limb bone microanatomy reflects bone function and posture.
Paper:
academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
Tons of CT scan DICOM files:
figshare.com/articles/dat...
Paper:
academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
Tons of CT scan DICOM files:
figshare.com/articles/dat...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Enlargement of sternum traits facilitated the evolution of powered flight in birds 🧪⚒️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Enlargement of sternum traits facilitated the evolution of powered flight in birds - Nature Ecology & Evolution
The extant avian sternum is highly adapted to powered flight, but understanding of its early evolution is hindered by patchy fossil representation and the fact that where preserved, sterna in near-bir...
www.nature.com
July 24, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Enlargement of sternum traits facilitated the evolution of powered flight in birds 🧪⚒️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Reposted by Prof. Christine Böhmer
Have you ever wondered about the origin of birds restricted to specific regions? Led by doctoral student Hevana Lima, we attempt to unravel the origins of birds endemic to the Caatinga dry forests in Brazil. Check our ms out! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Origins and Diversification of the Caatinga Dry Forest Endemic Avifauna
Aim Understanding the geographic origin of lineages is critical to comprehending their biogeographical and evolutionary histories and the historical connections among biomes. In northeastern Brazil,...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
July 24, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Have you ever wondered about the origin of birds restricted to specific regions? Led by doctoral student Hevana Lima, we attempt to unravel the origins of birds endemic to the Caatinga dry forests in Brazil. Check our ms out! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...