Nathan Kley Assistant Professor Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, 2001 nathan.kley@stonybrook.edu

Functional and evolutionary morphology, evolution of squamate feeding systems, snake origins, limb reduction in snakes, biology of blindsnakes, herpetology, miniaturization and its role in vertebrate evolution

The general focus of Dr. Kley's research is the evolution of form and function in squamate reptiles (snakes and lizards). Although his interests in this area are broad, spanning numerous functional and anatomical systems, most of his current projects involve studies in two specific areas, each bearing significantly on the ongoing controversy regarding the evolutionary origin of snakes: 1) the functional morphology of the feeding apparatus; and 2) the evolutionary morphology of the pelvis and hind limbs.

Dr. Kley's primary research focus is the functional morphology of snake feeding systems. Specifically, he is interested in the mechanisms by which snakes capture, ingest, transport and swallow their prey and how these mechanisms evolved from those used by non-ophidian squamates ("lizards"). Current emphasis in this research is on studies of the feeding apparatus in poorly known clades of basal snakes, such as blindsnakes, which are phylogenetically intermediate between "lizards" and other more well-studied snakes, such as macrostomatans (e.g., boas, pythons, colubroids, etc.). A wide variety of research techniques are used in these studies, including high-speed videomicroscopy, X-ray videography, high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, immunohistochemistry, histology, and gross dissection. One of the fundamental objectives of Dr. Kley's research in this area is to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how the jaw-based feeding mechanisms of snakes evolved from the tongue-based feeding mechanisms of lizards.

A second major focus of Dr. Kley's current research is the evolutionary morphology of the squamate pelvis and hind limbs. Specific emphasis in this work is on identifying patterns of limb reduction and loss among extant snakes, and interpreting these patterns within a phylogenetic context. This research will provide a more robust evolutionary framework for interpreting the significance of three highly controversial Cretaceous fossil snakes with well-developed hind limbs, †Pachyrhachis, †Haasiophis and †Eupodophis.

For more information about Dr. Kley's research, visit the Kley Lab.