INTRODUCTION Crocodilians and birds are the two extant clades of archosaurs, a group
that includes the extinct dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Fossils suggest that living crocodilians (…

Snakes possess many extreme morphological and physiological adaptations. Identification
of the molecular basis of these traits can provide novel understanding for vertebrate biology …

Transposable elements (TEs) are genetic elements with the ability to mobilize and replicate
themselves in a genome. Mammalian genomes are dominated by TEs, which can reach …

Broad paradigms of vertebrate genomic repeat element evolution have been largely shaped
by analyses of mammalian and avian genomes. Here, based on analyses of genomes …

Colubridae represents the most phenotypically diverse and speciose family of snakes, yet no
well-assembled and annotated genome exists for this lineage. Here, we report and analyze …

The rapid diversification of Myotis bats into more than 100 species is one of the most
extensive mammalian radiations available for study. Efforts to understand relationships within …

Vesper bats (family Vespertilionidae) experienced a rapid adaptive radiation beginning
around 36 Ma that resulted in the second most species-rich mammalian family (>400 species). …

Unregulated commercial harvest remains a major threat for turtles across the globe. Due to
continuing demand from Asian markets, a significant number of turtles are exported from the …

Olfactory receptors (ORs) are membrane proteins that mediate the detection of odorants in
the environment, and are the largest vertebrate gene family. Comparative studies of …

Dietary shifts can result in changes to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota, leading to
negative outcomes for the host, including inflammation. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda …