The Ross Lab has a long-standing interest in the evolutionary biomechanics of non-mammalian vertebrates, especially crocodylians and lepidosaurs.

Related Publications

In vivo bone strain and finite element modeling of the mandible of Alligator mississippiensis
Porro, LB, Metzger K, Iriarte-Diaz, J, Ross, CF. Journal of Anatomy. 223(3): 195-227 (2013)

Avian cranial kinesis is the result of increased encephalization during the origin of birds
Alec T. Wilken, Kaleb C. Sellers, Ian N. Cost, Julian Davis, Kevin M. Middleton, Lawrence M. Witmer, and Casey M. Holliday. PNAS. (2025) [PDF] [DOI]

Bite force and cranial bone strain in four species of lizards
Ross, CF, Porro, LB, Herrel, A, Evans, SE, Fagan, MJ. Journal of Experimental Biology. 221, jeb180240 (2018) [DOI]

Bone strain gradients and optimization in tetrapod skulls
Ross, CF and Metzger, KA. Annals of Anatomy. 186: 387-396 (2004)

Comparative cranial biomechanics in two lizard species: impact of variation in cranial design
Dutel, H, Gröning, F, Sharp, AC, Watson, PJ, Herrel, A, Ross, CF, Jones, MH, Evans, SE, Fagan, MJ. Journal of Experimental Biology. jeb.234831 (2021) [DOI]

Cranial kinematics and prey-type effects in Amia ocellicauda feeding strikes
Katrina R. Whitlow, Callum F. Ross, and Mark W. Westneat. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Volume 292, Issue 2045 (2025) [PDF] [DOI]

In vivo cranial bone strain and bite force in the agamid lizard Uromastyx geyri
Porro LB, Ross, CF, Iriarte-Diaz, J, O’Reilly, JC, Evans, SE, Fagan, M. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 217(11): 1983-1992 (2014)

Rhythmic chew cycles with distinct fast and slow phases are ancestral to gnathostomes
Brian A. Richard, Meghan Spence, Mateo Rull-Garza, Yonas Tolosa Roba, Daniel Schwarz, Jason B. Ramsay, J. D. Laurence-Chasen, Callum F. Ross, Nicolai Konow. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 378: 20220539. (2023) [PDF] [DOI]