Nyctereutes urartuensis + Armenohyrax + Gorgonavis + Erythrobatrachus + vertebrate retina evolution + more free pdfs
Ben Creisler
Ben Creisler
I hope all are safe and well.
Recent vertpaleo and evolution papers with free pdfs:
Antoine Balzeau, Dorothea Mylopotamitaki, Frido Welker, Laura Tassoni, Asier Gómez-Olivencia, Tiphaine Derrey & Sahra Talamo (2026)
Contextualising the La Ferrassie 1 Homo neanderthalensis skeleton through palaeoproteomic analysis and radiocarbon dating
Journal of Archaeological Science 188: 106515
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2026.106515
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440326000452
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K. Génuite, S. Verheyden, H. Camus, C. Burlet, M. Boudadi-Maligne, L. Bruxelles, H. Cheng, D. Cochard, S. Delaby, E. Fabre, C. Ferrier, C. Lézin, L. Ledoux, M.-A. Medina-Alcaide, P. Mora l, X. Muth, T. Pélissié, D. Soulier, J. Xue & J. Jaubert (2026)
The evolution of the cave's entrance of Bruniquel and consequences for its accessibility by early Homo neanderthalensis
Quaternary Science Reviews 377: 109866
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109866
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379126000752
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Christian Bentz & Ewa Dutkiewicz (2026)
Humans 40,000 y ago developed a system of conventional signs
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 123(9): e2520385123
doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2520385123
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2520385123
Free pdf:
https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2520385123
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Kamilla L. Lomborg, Carolina Cucart-Mora, Jan-Olaf Reschke, Christine Hertler, Matt Grove, Benoit Gaudou, Mehdi Saqalli & Marie-Hélène Moncel (2026)
Changing Movements in a Changing World: Modelling Early Pleistocene and Early Middle Pleistocene Climatic and Ecological Environments and Influences on Hominin Dispersal in Eurasia
Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology 9(1): 66–88
DOI: 10.5334/jcaa.212
https://journal.caa-international.org/articles/10.5334/jcaa.212
Free pdf:
https://journal.caa-international.org/articles/212/files/69a1864041e80.pdf
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Griffin A. Assance, Mary T. Silcox & David R. Begun (2026)
Comparative Sulcal Morphology of the Late Miocene Fossil Ape, Rudapithecus hungaricus
American Journal of Biological Anthropology 189 (2): e70218
doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70218
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.70218
Free pdf:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.70218
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Deepak Choudhary, Christopher C. Gilbert, Christopher J. Campisano, Daniel J. Peppe, Mohammad Arif, Sarvendra Pratap Singh, Kahsay Tesfay, Biren A. Patel, Wasim Abass Wazir, Rohit Kumar, Binita Phartiyal, Ningthoujam Premjit Singh, Kongrailatpam Milankumar Sharma & Rajeev Patnaik (2026)
Geochronological insights of middle Miocene primates and vertebrate fauna of Ramnagar (J&K, India): Integrating litho- and magnetostratigraphy
PLoS One 21(2): e0343500.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0343500
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0343500
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Florent Rivals, Nicolas Boulbes, Nicolas Lateur, Pierre Magniez, Juan Marín & Marie-Hélène Moncel (2026)
Ungulate feeding ecology at Abri du Maras reveals diverse habitats and seasonally targeted Neanderthal occupations (MIS 5–3)
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 18(3): 59
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-026-02410-y
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-026-02410-y
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Andrea Cuccu, Beatriz Azanza, Isaac Casanovas-Vilar, Carmen Nacarino-Meneses, David M. Alba & Daniel DeMiguel (2026)
Paleohistology and life history of Procervulus and Eotragus (Ruminantia, Artiodactyla) from the Middle Miocene site of els Casots (NE Iberian Peninsula)
Journal of Mammalian Evolution 33: 3
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-025-09799-8
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10914-025-09799-8
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Maia Bukhsianidze (2026)
Fossil ruminants from the Pliocene site of Jradzor, Armenia.
Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 145: 199-211.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/sjp.145.177453
https://sjp.pensoft.net/article/177453/
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Sara G. Arranz, Souzanna Siarabi, Sharrah McKenzie, Isaac Casanovas-Vilar & David M. Alba (2026)
The suid assemblage from the Vallesian locality of Can Llobateres 1 (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula) revisited.
Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 145: 267-291.
https://doi.org/10.3897/sjp.145.183361
https://sjp.pensoft.net/article/183361/list/9/
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M.A. Erbajeva, R. Emry, A.J. Winkler, S.G. Lucas & L.A. Tyutkova (2025)
New data on the lagomorphs from the Zaysan Basin (Eastern Kazakhstan)
Erforschung Biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei 15: 219-228
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Nyctereutes urartuensis sp. nov.
Saverio Bartolini-Lucenti, Marie Meyer, Samuele Frosali, Joan Madurell-Malapeira, Wenhui Liu, Loïc Costeur, Damien Becker & Davit Vasilyan (2026)
Systematics and palaeoneurology of a new Pliocene raccoon dog (Canidae, Nyctereutes) from Jradzor (Armenia).
Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 145: 213-249.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/sjp.145.180388
https://sjp.pensoft.net/article/180388/
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Armenohyrax aznavouriani gen. et sp. nov.
Damien Becker, Rémi Lefebvre, Robin Saulnier Masson & Davit Vasilyan (2026)
A new genus and species of Pliohyracidae (Hyracoidea, Mammalia) from the Pliocene of Jradzor, Armenia.
Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 145: 179-198
doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/sjp.145.181371
https://sjp.pensoft.net/article/181371/
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Felix Pym, Felipe Franco-Gaviria, Marco Raczka, Gbotemi A. Adediran, Stephen Sitch & Dunia H. Urrego (2026)
The timing and ecological consequences of the late Pleistocene megafaunal declines on the Isthmus of Panama: Implications for trophic rewilding
Quaternary Science Reviews 378: 109887
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109887
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027737912600096X
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Sophia C Anderson, Philip Cox, Laura Fitton, Karl Thomas Bates & Eloy Gálvez-López (2026)
A novel approach to quantifying mammal locomotor repertoires using scoring and cluster analysis
Proceedings of the Royal Society B 293(2065): 20252515
doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2515
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Wighart von Koenigswald (2026)
Diversity and function of the anterior dentitions in fossil and extant mammals
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-025-00690-1
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12549-025-00690-1
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Gorgonavis alcyone gen. et sp. nov.
Sergio M. Nebreda, Luis M. Chiappe, Guillermo Navalón, Javier C. Terol, Francisco J. Serrano, Ángela D. Buscalioni & Jesús Marugán-Lobón (2026)
An isolated skull from Las Hoyas (Early Cretaceous, Spain) informs the early evolution towards elongated rostra in enantiornithine birds (Aves, Ornithothoraces).
Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 145: 251-265
doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/sjp.145.182813
https://sjp.pensoft.net/article/182813/
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Gerald Mayr (2026)
On the interrelationships of early Eocene “parrot-like” and “near-passerine” zygodactyl birds (Aves: Psittacomimidae fam. nov.).
Vertebrate Zoology 76: 121-134.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.76.e182505
https://vertebrate-zoology.arphahub.com/article/182505/
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Martin E. Farina, Verónica Krapovickas, and Claudia A. Marsicano (2026)
Ichnotaxonomy and paleobiology of a bird track assemblage from the Miocene Vinchina Formation of La Rioja Province, Argentina
Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 71(1): 29-50
doi:10.4202/app.01284.2025
https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app012842025.html
Free pdf:
https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app71/app012842025.pdf
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Olivia Plateau, Guillermo Navalón, Juan Benito & Daniel J. Field (2026)
Developmental underpinnings of morphological disparity in the avian bony palate
Nature Communications (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69576-w
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69576-w Free pdf:
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Adrian Tussel Boeye, Kyle Logan Atkins-Weltman, J. Logan King & Scott Swann† (2026)
Evidence of bird-like foot function in Tyrannosaurus
Royal Society Open Science 13(2): 252139 .
doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.252139
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James P. Charles, Delyle T. Polet & John R. Hutchinson (2026)
Form–function relationships determining optimal jumping performance in an early bipedal dinosaur
Journal of the Royal Society Interface 23(235): 20250918
doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2025.0918
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Juan Pablo Garderes, Néstor Toledo, John Andrew Whitlock, Mariano Militello & Pablo Ariel Gallina (2026)
Head, skull–neck and extrinsic eye musculature of the dicraeosaurid sauropod Bajadasaurus pronuspinax
Musculatura de la cabeza, cabeza-cuello y ocular extrínseca del saurópodo dicraeosáurido Bajadasaurus pronuspinax
Publicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina 26(1): 80–112
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5710/PEAPA.11.11.2025.553
https://peapaleontologica.org.ar/index.php/peapa/article/view/553
Free pdf:
https://peapaleontologica.org.ar/index.php/peapa/article/view/553/941
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Bryan R. S. Moore, David C. Evans, Michael J. Ryan, R. Timothy Patterson & Jordan C. Mallon (2026)
The ontogenetically youngest known pachycephalosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) postcranium
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2616325
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2026.2616325
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2026.2616325
Free pdf:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/02724634.2026.2616325
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Francisco Costa (2026)
Dacentrurine Stegosaurs in North America: New Occurrences from the Upper Jurassic of USA (Morrison Formation)
Diversity 18(3): 143
doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/d18030143
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/18/3/143
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Eric Buffetaut (2026)
The Cretaceous Dinosaur Record from Normandy (NW France): A Review
Fossil Studies 4(1): 5
doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/fossils4010005
https://www.mdpi.com/2813-6284/4/1/5
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Feiko Miedema & Erin E. Maxwell (2026)
Use of the notochordal canal as a reliable proxy for prenatal stage, a case study in Ichthyosauria
Royal Society Open Science 13(2): 251986
doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251986
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Jordan M. Young, Tea Maho & Robert R. Reisz (2026)
Earliest direct evidence of trophic interactions between terrestrial apex predators and large herbivores
Scientific Reports 16: 6977
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38183-6
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-38183-6
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Benjamin P. Kear, Nicolás E. Campione, Mikael Siversson, Mohamad Bazzi & Lachlan J. Hart (2026)
Revision of the trematosaurid Erythrobatrachus noonkanbahensis confirms a cryptic marine temnospondyl community from the Lower Triassic of Western Australia
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2601224
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2025.2601224
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2025.2601224
Free pdf:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/02724634.2025.2601224
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John G. Maisey (2026)
The neurocranium of the Paleozoic ‘chipmunk ray’ Tamiobatis vetustus Eastman, 1897. A brief history of research and new morphological observations based on computerized tomography
Canadian Journal of Zoology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2025-0124
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjz-2025-0124
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Tássia Juliana Bertotto, Isa Marielle Coutinho, Gustavo R. Oliveira
First occurrence of Notelops brama in the Lower Cretaceous Ipubi Formation (Santana Group, Araripe Basin, Brazil)
Cretaceous Research 106359
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106359
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667126000480
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George Kafetzis, Michael J. Bok, Tom Baden & Dan-Eric Nilsson (2026)
Evolution of the vertebrate retina by repurposing of a composite ancestral median eye
Current Biology 36(4): R153-R170
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.12.028
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225016768
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Jody Thorburn, Gerhard Wiese & Susana Clusella-Trullas (2026)
Validating a low-cost alternative to body surface area estimation: Implications for energy budgets and scaling relationships of ectotherms
Methods in Ecology and Evolution (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.70268
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210x.70268
Free pdf:
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/2041-210x.70268
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Bruce J. MacFadden, Cristobal A. Barberis, Maria C. Vallejo-Pareja, Samantha P. Zbinden, Victor J. Perez, Stephanie R. Killingsworth, Kenneth W. Marks, Dévi Hall & Arthur Porto (2026)
AI and paleontology: effects of vertebrate fossil sample size on machine learning image classification
Paleobiology (advance online publication)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2025.10084
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Geerat J. Vermeij and Tracy J. Thomson (2026)
Uniqueness and predictability in evolution and the history of mollusks
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 123(9): e2520986123
doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2520986123
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2520986123
Free pdf:
https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.2520986123
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Peter Köhler & Peter U. Clark (2026)
Constraints on Past CO2 and Climate Sensitivity From Global Temperature and Sea Level Reconstructions Across the Plio-Pleistocene
Geophysical Research Letters 53(5): e2025GL120608
doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL120608
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GL120608
Free pdf:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GL120608
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B. B. Cael & G. L. Foster (2026)
How Unusual Was the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum?
Geophysical Research Letters 53(4): e2025GL120456
doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl120456
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GL120456
Free pdf:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GL120456
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Rong-Ruo Zhan, Liang Duan, Massimiliano Zattin, Nicholas Christie-Blick, Bo Wan, Rong-Hao Wei, Zhao Yang, Jianqiang Wang, Longlong Gou, Valerio Olivetti, Kai-Yun Chen, and Xingliang Zhang (2026)
Tectonism rather than “snowball Earth” glaciation is responsible for the Great Unconformity
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 123 (9) e2523891123
doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523891123
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2523891123
Free pdf:
https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2523891123
Tim Williams
> Francisco Costa (2026)
> Dacentrurine Stegosaurs in North America: New Occurrences from the Upper Jurassic of USA (Morrison Formation)
> Diversity 18(3): 143
> doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/d18030143
> https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/18/3/143
"S. altispinus" only appears in Gilmore (1914) in a figure caption ("Comparative view of _Stegosaurus_" femora"), where in a hand-drawn illustration the "S. altispinus" femur (Fig. 45.2) is featured alongside the femora of _S. ungulatus_ (45.1) and _S. stenops_ (45.3). The name is mentioned nowhere else in this publication, and so "S. altispinus" would appear to be a mistake. Hence, it is best regarded as a nomen nudum.
"Natronasaurus" was intended by the original author (Ulansky) to be a new genus name for _S. longispinus_; but for the reasons outlined in detail by Galton and Carpenter (2016), this 'genus' has no status in nomenclature. As such, "Natronasaurus" is a nomen nudum.
> Gorgonavis alcyone gen. et sp. nov.
> Sergio M. Nebreda, Luis M. Chiappe, Guillermo Navalón, Javier C. Terol, Francisco J. Serrano, Ángela D. Buscalioni & Jesús Marugán-Lobón (2026)
> An isolated skull from Las Hoyas (Early Cretaceous, Spain) informs the early evolution towards elongated rostra in enantiornithine birds (Aves,
> Ornithothoraces).
> Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 145: 251-265
> doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/sjp.145.182813
> https://sjp.pensoft.net/article/182813/
It was Perseus who beheaded Medusa. Theseus slayed the Minotaur.