Fangs, ratchets and no way back on The Skullywag Lab
What can teeth tell us about the evolution of mammals? Quite a lot, as it turns out. In a new interview on The Skullywag Lab, Narimane Chatar talks about her research on the evolution of teeth and skulls in carnivorans and other mammals.
The conversation covers the idea of macroevolutionary ratchets, where some lineages become so specialised (for example towards a meat-only diet) that there is no easy way back. It also covers saber-tooths, one of the most iconic morphologies in the fossil record, which evolved several times independently. Narimane explains how 3D morphometrics and comparative methods help reveal what drove these extreme forms, drawing on her work on cat-like carnivorans and on the performance trade-offs that shape mammalian dentition.
It's an accessible, fascinating discussion for anyone curious about fossils, carnivores, or how evolution builds its most spectacular tools !