Bone microstructure of the basal anomodont Suminia getmanovi supports its arboreal lifestyle.

ABSTRACT: The paleohistology of Permo-Triassic anomodonts has been extensively studied and, independent of phylogeny, body size and lifestyle, reflects a pattern of rapid growth indicated by a woven-parallel complex. Moreover, anomodonts uniformly show a relative bone cortical thickness (RBT) exceeding 30% and a medullary cavity generally filled by trabeculae. Here, we investigate the paleohistology of the basal anomodont Suminia getmanovi from the Permian of Russia, which has been hypothesized as one of the earliest arboreal tetrapods. Osteohistology and skeletal proportions reveal that our sample comprises at least two late juvenile to early subadult individuals, exhibiting well-vascularized and mostly uninterrupted woven-parallel complex or parallel-fibered tissues, suggesting relatively high gro

SUBMITTER: Nieke S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11937274 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature