The terrestrial-aquatic transition impacts endocranial shape in caniform carnivorans
Thomas Barnes kirkwood, Susanne Shultz, Mary Teresa Silcox, Julia A. Schwab, Stephanie M Palmer, Katrina Elizabeth Jones
This study examines how the transition from terrestrial to aquatic lifestyles affects endocranial shape in caniform carnivorans, finding that aquatic species have expanded neocortices and reduced paleocortices and olfactory bulbs.
bioRxiv · Aug 13, 2025 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology