Vertebrate Paleontology Research

Vertebrate Paleontology seeks to reconstruct the history of vertebrate life on Earth. We contribute to this larger scientific effort by conducting original field and laboratory research aimed at discovering and interpreting the fossil record of vertebrates.

Origins and Evolution of Primatomorpha

Paleontological insights relevant to macroevolutionary relationships and biogeographic patterns among Primates and their closest relatives (Primatomorpha).

Scientific illustration of a Primatomorpha, a closest relative to primates.

Evolution of an Eocene Island Ecosystem

The “lost continent” of Balkanatolia illuminates island biogeography during “Deep Time.”

Map of the “lost continent” of Balkanatolia, which was between Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Paleogene Mammal Dispersal and Biogeography

The evolution of Paleogene mammals took place against the dynamic backdrop of climatic and tectonic changes.

Map of showing the direction Paleogene mammals took during climatic and tectonic changes.

Evolution of North American Mammals

For more than 20 years, we have been collecting Paleocene and early Eocene mammals and other vertebrates from sites in southwestern Wyoming.

fieldwork closeup

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Fossil preparator David Burnham and party will return to Hell Creek Montana and search for more of KU’s Tyrannosaurus rex.

Hellcreek

Past Research Projects

Tibetan Plateau Fossils

Scattered with numerous salt lakes and approximately 2700-3200 m above sea level, the giant Qaidam inland basin on the northern Tibetan Plateau has experienced continuing aridification since the beginning of the Late Cenozoic as a result of the India-Asia

tibetan plateau thick boned fish

Into Africa

Phylogenetic and biostratigraphic data indicate that the oldest and most basal members of the anthropoid clade are fossil taxa known from the Eocene of Asia

fieldwork

Mammoth Bite Marks

This project is an investigation of a large mammoth skeleton marked by numerous bite marks. These markings were first noticed during the renovation of the Mammoth and Mastodon Exhibit at the end of 2014.

fossil