Background Most turtles from the Middle and Late Jurassic of Asia are referred to the newly
defined clade Xinjiangchelyidae, a group of mostly shell-based, generalized, small to mid …

The cranial circulation and innervation systems of turtles have been studied for more than
two centuries and extensively used to understand turtle systematics. Although a significant …

Molecular analyses of turtle relationships have overturned prevailing morphological
hypotheses and prompted the development of a new taxonomy. Here we provide the first …

Despite their complex evolutionary history and the rich fossil record, the higher level
phylogeny and historical biogeography of living turtles have not been investigated in a …

Late Mesozoic palaeobiogeography has been characterized by a distinction between the
northern territories of Laurasia and the southern landmasses of Gondwana. The repeated …

Evolutionary transitions to marine habitats occurred frequently among Mesozoic reptiles.
Only one such clade survives to the present: sea turtles (Chelonioidea). Other marine turtles …

Turtles have served as a model system for molecular divergence dating studies using fossil
calibrations. However, because some parts of the fossil record of turtles are very well known …

Recent studies suggested that many fossil marine turtles might not be closely related to
extant marine turtles (Chelonioidea). The uncertainty surrounding the origin and …

Covering diverse species from garter snakes to Komodo dragons, this book delves into the
evolutionary origins and fascinating details of the mysterious social lives of reptiles. Reptiles …

Turtles (Testudines) form a monophyletic group with a highly distinctive body plan. The
taxonomy and phylogeny of turtles are still under discussion, at least for some clades …