LAB MEMBERS
Takuya Konishi, PhD
Principal Investigator
2009. Ph.D., Systematics and Evolution, University of Alberta
2004. B.Sc. Hon. (First Class), Paleontology, University of Alberta
With my specialty in Mesozoic marine reptiles especially mosasaurs, and vertebrate anatomy, my overall research interests lie in bridging extinct and extant tetrapods anatomically, functionally, ecologically, and evolutionarily. Mosasaurs, a diverse clade of lizards that underwent a magnificent degree of secondary aquatic adaptation, are represented today by thousands of fossils across the globe. Uniquely in today's spectrum of biological data--from biomolecules to organismal communities--I study gross morphology as my primary data. Gross morphology/anatomy today perhaps receives increasingly less research attention, but it is rich in new biological insights when studied, as is the case with any other form of biological data. Through careful studies of individual mosasaur and other marine tetrapod specimens both living and extinct, I continue to bring forth new hypotheses to illuminate evolution of 'aquatic life that started on land.'
Sam Garvey
M.S. Student
2020. M.Sc., Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati
2014. B.Sc. (Summa Cum Laude), Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati
2009. B.Sc. (Summa Cum Laude), Outdoor Recreation and Resource Management, Indiana University
Beginning in the summer of 2017, Sam has been undertaking his M.S. thesis work on mosasaur paleobiogeography and paleoecology. With a special focus on high-latitude localities encompassing both North America and the Pacific Basin, Sam's preliminary work is shedding new light on potentially unique feeding adaptation sensitive to high latitudes among mosasaurs. Check his conference presentations and publications in the near future to stay up-to-date with what his research continues to unfold!
News: Sam successfully defended his M.S. thesis on 02/21/2020. Congratulations!!!
Nicole Keenan
Undergraduate Researcher
Fall 2022
The palatal configuration of mosasaurs remains somewhat unusual in light of what is typical of extant squamate taxa--that is, the pair of palatines project well beyond the orbits anteriorly, each forming a unique enclosure there that is roofed by the prefrontal. As is often the case with paleontology, comparative visualization of anatomical features goes a long way toward recognition and understanding of unique anatomy that, otherwise, can go easily undetected! Nicole did such a thorough job of highlighting the same set of dermal bones across a majority of squamate families, demonstrating that the aforementioned palatal configuration in mosasaurs is indeed unique among squamates, save Annilidae, a group of basal snakes. All the non-mosasaur squamate taxa Nicole sampled are non-marine taxa, suggesting that the unique preorbital dermal enclosure in mosasaurs may indeed have housed a large gland to remove an excess amount of salt that they must have ingested constantly as they fed in the sea.
Sayuj Saha
Undergraduate Researcher
Fall 2019-Spring 2020
One of the stellar former students in Human/Comparative Anatomy, Sayuj joined the lab in Fall 2019 to continue on the project that Justin Mays (see below) started in 2018. Examining one bone fragment after another, Sayuj has made a significant progress in identifying finer anatomical details of this giant mosasaur discovered in western Kansas 90 years ago. Not only is Sayuj's work augmenting Justin's initial conclusion as to what mosasaur type it should represent, it is also helping us understand individual-level characteristics of this large mosasaur, which in turn informs us of the morphological variation we should expect in different individuals of this particular mosasaur kind. For example, the Kansas mosasaur can tell us what jaw features stayed relatively unchanged as these mosasaurs grew. The general rarity of this mosasaur type in North America makes this kind of information that much more newsworthy to the field of vertebrate paleontology.
Alex Willman
Undergraduate Researcher
Spring 2019
Alex is a senior undergraduate student working tirelessly on the description of a mosasaur specimen on loan from the Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. As the specimen's home institution would indicate, it is one of well over 1,000 specimens of mosasaurs that were ever collected in the chalk deposit in western Kansas. There is something special about this specimen however, in that I have not been able to pin a nominal species on it. Alex, initially not knowing the scope of his project, is making tremendous strides in unraveling the identity of this mystery mosasaur, and is presenting his preliminary conclusions at the 6th Triennial Mosasaur & Mesozoic Marine Reptiles Meeting in May, 2019 at my alma mater. Keep the good work, Alex!
Ashley Hopkins
Undergraduate Researcher
Spring 2019
Since January, Ashley has made a significant progress on the preparation of this mosasaur specimen from Hokkaido, northern Japan. When the preparation using a conventional airscribe had to be paused, Ashley was quick to try and learn about using other tools, including the dental drill. Through trial and error, she significantly sped up the preparation and has successfully removed most of the rock around the fossil. Most importantly, no parts of the fossil went missing in the process so far! Ashley will soon begin chemical preparation of the specimen to complete extraction of this rare specimen out of the concretion.
Justin Mays
Undergraduate Researcher
Academic Year 2018
In the summer of 2018, we acquired (loaned) a rather special mosasaur specimen from the University of Kansas. Discovered in 1930 in that state, the specimen is from the Campanian Pierre Shale Group and consists literally of hundreds of bone fragments, many of which are still encased in hard, concretionary rock matrix. While it would likely take a year of a full-time preparator's work to free all the bones from the rock, Justin, an energetic senior biology major, is here tasked to sort all the loose bones and put them back together to carefully assess what part of the animal is represented and how much. Through Justin's work, we already know that the mosasaur here represents the very first case of its kind ever to be found in Kansas, the place otherwise well known for the abundance and the rich research history of mosasaurs and other Cretaceous marine vertebrates, for well over a century. Justin's effort simply reminds us all that every discovery counts, and that it's never too late to begin a research project on it!
Almas Anjum
Undergraduate Researcher
Summer 2018
With very generous logistical support from Dr. Gross's lab, Almas has undertaken a project involving 3D visualization and inner ear reconstruction of one of the best preserved fossil mosasaur braincases that also represents one of the rarest mosasaur kinds, halisaurines. We are particularly interested to know the natural (resting) head position of this small mosasaur called Phosphorosaurus, by determining the orientation of the horizontal semicircular canal, an equilibrium sensory component of the animal's inner ear, relative to the long axis of its skull. Speculated to have been a nocturnal ambush predator, understanding how this mosasaur had normally positioned its head within the water column--horizontal, inclined upward, or downward and if so, how much--is expected to illuminate hunting and swimming aspects of these enigmatic mosasaurs.
Jercell Respicio
Undergraduate Researcher
Summer 2018
Jercell has been instrumental in keeping the fossil preparation of some key mosasaur specimens in our lab going. Having quickly mastered the basic use of fossil preparation tools, Jercell has made steady progress on the preparation of a very rare mosasaur specimen from northern Japan, encased in very hard concretionary matrix. It is important to note here that successful preparation of fossil vertebrates comes from thorough understanding of their osteology. Jercell has also been helping photographic documentations of fossil specimens for my research.
Alfred Mantey
Undergraduate Researcher
Spring 2018
Alfred's worked on identification of the vertebrate microfossil assemblage from Montana, USA. This assemblage of animals are of particular interest for many paleontologists, as they come from the time just around the dinosaur extinction 66 million years ago. Unlike fully articulated fossil animal skeletons, these are not only individual but often tiny fragments of bones. A great deal of patience and thorough knowledge of vertebrate diversity and anatomy are thus required of anyone who studies them. Not only had Alfred enjoyed working on these microfossils, he's done a great job of revealing taxonomic identities for most of them!