# positions[].organizations[].label
Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management

# positions[].organizations[].parent[].label
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# positions[].organizations[].parent[].label
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# overview
My research focuses on the functional, ecological, & evolutionary aspects of how vertebrates detect, acquire, ingest and digest food. My program is integrative and comparative in nature. This work falls within the conceptual framework of ecological morphology & physiology and is conducted at the functional organismal level (morphology and physiology), behavioral, and ecological levels. The central concept of this field is that morphology and physiology influences an organism's ecology through constraints of behavioral performance, which is the capacity of an animal to exploit its natural resources, and explore its environment. Although investigations of morphology, physiology, and behavior stand on their own, ultimately the integration of these studies can explain how organisms interact with their environment, the evolution of functional complexes, and the pressure selections involved in driving adaptations.

# hrJobTitle
Professor and Director of the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
University of Florida - (Gainesville, Florida, United States)

# publications[].label
Biomechanical properties of regeneration following mandibular distraction in rats.

# publications[].label
Durophagous biting in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) differs kinematically from raptorial biting of other marine mammals.

# publications[].label
A Natural Occurring Shark Repellent: Ink has a Negative Effect on Shark Swimming Behavior

# publications[].label
Scaling of bite performance with head and carapace morphometrics in green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

# publications[].label
Morphology of the Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) Muscular-Vibrissal Complex: A Functional Model for Phocid Subambient Pressure Generation.

# publications[].label
Orofacial morphology and feeding behaviour of the dugong, Amazonian, West African and Antillean manatees (Mammalia : Sirenia): functional morphology of the muscular-vibrissal complex

# publications[].label
Low Prevalence of Visual Impairment in a Coastal Population of Gray Seals (Halichoerus grypus) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

# publications[].label
Comparative Analysis of the Flexural Stiffness of Pinniped Vibrissae.

# publications[].label
Alveoli, teeth, and tooth loss: Understanding the homology of internal mandibular structures in mysticete cetaceans.

# publications[].label
Prenatal data impacts common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) growth parameters estimated by length-at-age curves

# publications[].publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

# publications[].label
Microanatomy of facial vibrissae in the Florida manatee: the basis for specialized sensory function and oripulation.

# publications[].label
Variation in Female Reproductive Tract Morphology of the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

# publications[].label
Large dugong (Dugong dugon) aggregations persist in coastal Qatar

# publications[].label
Feeding biomechanics of juvenile red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.

# publications[].label
Orientation of the orbit predicts feeding ecology in marine mammals

# publications[].label
Environmental Drivers of Habitat Use by Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Arabian Gulf (Qatar)

# publications[].label
Feeding Kinematics, Suction, and Hydraulic Jetting Performance of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina)

# publications[].label
Effects of chronic exposure to 12 saltwater on the endocrine physiology of juvenile American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

# publications[].label
The ontogenetic scaling of bite force and head size in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta): implications for durophagy in neritic, benthic habitats.

# publications[].label
Feeding kinematics of Kogia and Tursiops (Odontoceti: Cetacea): characterization of suction and ram feeding.

# publications[].label
A tale of three inks: Comparison of free amino acid composition of ink from california sea hares, common cuttlefish, and pygmy sperm whales

# publications[].label
PREHENSILE USE OF PERIORAL BRISTLES DURING FEEDING AND ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS OF THE FLORIDA MANATEE (TRICHECHUS MANATUS LATIROSTRIS)

# publications[].label
Behavioral responses of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) to experimental fishing gear in a coastal environment

# publications[].label
Tooth Loss Precedes the Origin of Baleen in Whales.

# publications[].label
THE MUSCULAR HYDROSTAT OF THE FLORIDA MANATEE (TRICHECHUS MANATUS LATIROSTRIS): A FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGICAL MODEL OF PERIORAL BRISTLE USE

# publications[].label
Are vibrissae viable sensory structures for prey capture in northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris?

# publications[].label
Puncture performance tests reveal distinct feeding modes in pinniped teeth.

# publications[].label
Do sharks exhibit heterodonty by tooth position and over ontogeny? A comparison using elliptic Fourier analysis.

# publications[].label
Fused traditional and geometric morphometrics demonstrate pinniped whisker diversity.

# publications[].label
Follicle Microstructure and Innervation Vary between Pinniped Micro- and Macrovibrissae.

# publications[].label
Does Vibrissal Innervation Patterns and Investment Predict Hydrodynamic Trail Following Behavior of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina)?

# publications[].label
Patterns of cetacean vaginal folds yield insights into functionality.

# publications[].label
A functional comparison of the hyolingual complex in pygmy and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia breviceps and K. sima), and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

# publications[].label
Somatotopic organization of perioral musculature innervation within the pig facial motor nucleus.

# publications[].label
Nesting ecology of hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, in an extreme environmental setting.

# publications[].label
DISTRIBUTION AND INNERVATION OF FACIAL BRISTLES AND HAIRS IN THE FLORIDA MANATEE (TRICHECHUS MANATUS LATIROSTRIS)

# publications[].label
Comparative feeding kinematics and performance of odontocetes: belugas, Pacific white-sided dolphins and long-finned pilot whales.

# publications[].label
Jaw muscles and the skull in mammals: the biomechanics of mastication.

# publications[].label
Implications for The Antiquity of Raptorial Biting in Pinnipedimorphs: Exploring Mandible Morphology in the Callorhinus Lineage

# publications[].label
Tactile hairs on the postcranial body in Florida manatees: a Mammalian lateral line?

# publications[].label
Whiskers as a novel tissue for tracking reproductive and stress-related hormones in North Pacific otariid pinnipeds.

# publications[].label
Microstructure of the Bonnethead Shark (Sphyrna tiburo) Olfactory Rosette.

# publications[].label
Innervation patterns of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) mystacial follicle-sinus complexes.

# publications[].label
Morphological analysis of the bumpy profile of phocid vibrissae

# publications[].label
Feeding kinematics and performance of basal otariid pinnipeds, Steller sea lions and northern fur seals: implications for the evolution of mammalian feeding.

# publications[].label
Hydrodynamic perception in true seals (Phocidae) and eared seals (Otariidae).

# publications[].label
Air Release from the Left Orbit of an Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus): Symptomatic and Anatomical Aspects

# publications[].label
Biomechanics of the rostrum and the role of facial sutures.

# publications[].label
Feeding kinematics, suction and hydraulic jetting capabilities in bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus).

# publications[].label
Electroreception in the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis).

# publications[].label
Comparative Analysis of the Flexural Stiffness of Pinniped Vibrissae

# publications[].label
Divergent Skull Morphology Supports Two Trophic Specializations in Otters (Lutrinae).

# publications[].label
Innervation patterns of mystacial vibrissae support active touch behaviors in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus).

# publications[].label
Manatee cerebral cortex: cytoarchitecture of the caudal region in Trichechus manatus latirostris.

# publications[].label
Microstructure and innervation of the mystacial vibrissal follicle-sinus complex in bearded seals, Erignathus barbatus (Pinnipedia: Phocidae).

# publications[].label
Feminization of hawksbill turtle hatchlings in the twenty-first century at an important regional nesting aggregation

# publications[].label
THE DAWN OF DESMATOPHOCIDAE: A NEW SPECIES OF BASAL DESMATOPHOCID SEAL (MAMMALIA, CARNIVORA) FROM THE MIOCENE OF OREGON, USA

# publications[].label
Feeding kinematics, suction, and hydraulic jetting performance of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina).

# publications[].label
FOOD-HANDLING ABILITY AND FEEDING-CYCLE LENGTH OF MANATEES FEEDING ON SEVERAL SPECIES OF AQUATIC PLANTS

# publications[].label
Feeding in Aquatic Mammals: An Evolutionary and Functional Approach

# publications[].label
Topographical organization of the facial motor nucleus in Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris).

# publications[].label
Eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica deter crab predators by altering their morphology in response to crab cues

# organizations[]
Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management

# organizations[]
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# schools[]
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# inTheNews[].label
Texas A&M Galveston Awarded Sea Turtle Grant

# inTheNews[].label
Proposed Funding Cuts Spell Trouble for Texas Sea Turtles

# inTheNews[].label
Texas A&M-Galveston To Open Sea Turtle Hospital

# etdChairOf[].label
Sprowls, Caitlin (2017-12). Innervation Patterns of Mystacial Vibrissae Support Active Touch Behaviors in California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus). Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Kane, Emily A. (2009-05). Behavioral Performance and Evolution of Feeding Modes in Odontocetes. Master's Thesis.

# websites[].label
Ecomorphology & Comparative Physiology Lab