Sebecus nasopharyngeal and paranasal systems + first mammal tracks from Eocene of Antarctica (free pdfs)
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Ben Creisler
Aug 26, 2026, 3:13:13 PM (yesterday) Aug 26
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Ben Creisler
Recent Cenozoic papers:
Free pdf:
Gonzalo G. Bravo, Francisco T. Barrios and Diego Pol (2026)
New evidence on the nasopharyngeal and paranasal systems in sebecid crocodyliforms: the case of Sebecus ayrampu
Ameghiniana (advance online publication)
doi: 10.5710/AMGH.20.08.2026.3694
https://www.ameghiniana.org.ar/index.php/ameghiniana/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/175
Sebecidae is a clade of notosuchian crocodyliforms that includes mainly terrestrial predators from the Paleogene of South America. Its anatomical features are mostly known from external cranial morphology, whereas the neurocranial and internal anatomy remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the internal rostral anatomy of Sebecus ayrampu based on computed tomography (CT) data, in order to better understand the nasopharyngeal ducts and paranasal sinus system in this enigmatic group, as well as the implications for the evolution of these structures in Crocodyliformes. In this way, we expand the sampling within Notosuchia and provide new insights into their cranial pneumaticity, the development of glandular structures, and functional morphology.
Free pdf:
Héctor Mansilla-Vera, Silvina de Valais, Francisco Goin & Javier N. Gelfo (2026)
First mammal tracks from the Eocene of Antarctica
Polar Biology 49: 101
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-026-03539-1
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-026-03539-1
First mammal tracks from the Eocene of Antarctica
Polar Biology 49: 101
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-026-03539-1
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-026-03539-1
Free pdf:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/413581523_First_mammal_tracks_from_the_Eocene_of_Antarctica
A manus-pes set imprint is described from the early Eocene Fossil Hill Formation in the Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. The tracks were identified during a comprehensive review of the trace fossil assemblage within Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) 125a. Based on their general morphology, although a confident ichnotaxonomic assignment is not possible, the tracks are interpreted as having been produced by a terrestrial carnivorous mammal, most likely attributable to a small sparassodontan metatherian, thereby representing the first possible taxonomic record of the clade from Antarctica. This discovery provides the first evidence of a Paleogene terrestrial mammal beyond Seymour (Marambio) Island and constitutes the earliest ichnological record of a carnivorous mammal from Antarctica. As such, it not only expands the known paleogeographic distribution of Antarctic Paleogene mammals but also provides the first direct evidence that mammalian predators formed part of the continent’s terrestrial ecosystems during the Eocene. The inferred presence of a small sparassodontan predator adds a previously unrecognized component to Antarctic terrestrial food webs, filling a major gap in current reconstructions of Eocene trophic structure. Previous reconstructions of Antarctic Eocene terrestrial ecosystems identified phorusrhacid “terror birds” as the only documented terrestrial predators. The addition of a small sparassodontan indicates that these ecosystems supported a more taxonomically diverse carnivore assemblage and a more complex trophic structure than previously recognized.
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/413581523_First_mammal_tracks_from_the_Eocene_of_Antarctica
A manus-pes set imprint is described from the early Eocene Fossil Hill Formation in the Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. The tracks were identified during a comprehensive review of the trace fossil assemblage within Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) 125a. Based on their general morphology, although a confident ichnotaxonomic assignment is not possible, the tracks are interpreted as having been produced by a terrestrial carnivorous mammal, most likely attributable to a small sparassodontan metatherian, thereby representing the first possible taxonomic record of the clade from Antarctica. This discovery provides the first evidence of a Paleogene terrestrial mammal beyond Seymour (Marambio) Island and constitutes the earliest ichnological record of a carnivorous mammal from Antarctica. As such, it not only expands the known paleogeographic distribution of Antarctic Paleogene mammals but also provides the first direct evidence that mammalian predators formed part of the continent’s terrestrial ecosystems during the Eocene. The inferred presence of a small sparassodontan predator adds a previously unrecognized component to Antarctic terrestrial food webs, filling a major gap in current reconstructions of Eocene trophic structure. Previous reconstructions of Antarctic Eocene terrestrial ecosystems identified phorusrhacid “terror birds” as the only documented terrestrial predators. The addition of a small sparassodontan indicates that these ecosystems supported a more taxonomically diverse carnivore assemblage and a more complex trophic structure than previously recognized.
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