| Title |
Grooves to tubes: evolution of the venom delivery system in a Late Triassic “reptile”
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
The Science of Nature, November 2010
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00114-010-0729-0 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Jonathan S. Mitchell, Andrew B. Heckert, Hans-Dieter Sues |
| Abstract |
Venom delivery systems occur in a wide range of extant and fossil vertebrates and are primarily based on oral adaptations. Teeth range from unmodified (Komodo dragons) to highly specialized fangs similar to hypodermic needles (protero- and solenoglyphous snakes). Developmental biologists have documented evidence for an infolding pathway of fang evolution, where the groove folds over to create the more derived condition. However, the oldest known members of venomous clades retain the same condition as their extant relatives, resulting in no fossil evidence for the transition. Based on a comparison of previously known specimens with newly discovered teeth from North Carolina, we describe a new species of the Late Triassic archosauriform Uatchitodon and provide detailed analyses that provide evidence for both venom conduction and document a complete structural series from shallow grooves to fully enclosed tubular canals. While known only from teeth, Uatchitodon is highly diagnostic in possessing compound serrations and for having two venom canals on each tooth in the dentition. Further, although not a snake, Uatchitodon sheds light on the evolutionary trajectory of venom delivery systems in amniotes and provide solid evidence for venom conduction in archosaur-line diapsids. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 2 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 2 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 50% |
| Scientists | 1 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 70 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 4 | 6% |
| United States | 2 | 3% |
| Argentina | 1 | 1% |
| Germany | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown | 62 | 89% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 16 | 23% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 8 | 11% |
| Researcher | 8 | 11% |
| Student > Master | 7 | 10% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 6 | 9% |
| Other | 15 | 21% |
| Unknown | 10 | 14% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 30 | 43% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 15 | 21% |
| Environmental Science | 6 | 9% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 4% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 2 | 3% |
| Other | 2 | 3% |
| Unknown | 12 | 17% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 18. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 05 June 2023.
All research outputs
#1,832,008
of 23,794,258 outputs
Outputs from The Science of Nature
#252
of 2,195 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#6,944
of 103,232 outputs
Outputs of similar age from The Science of Nature
#3
of 17 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,794,258 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 92nd percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,195 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 13.5. This one has done well, scoring higher than 88% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 17 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 82% of its contemporaries.