Herpetology Range Students
Michael C. Granatosky
Anthropology/Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Division of Herpetology
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA
Telephone: 352 273-1945, Fax: 352 846-0287
E-mail: mgranato@ufl.edu
Research Interests
My research interests are centered on issues of reconstructing paleobiology and evolutionary patterns in primates and other Euarchontans through techniques in skeletal mechanics and functional morphology. Training and development of traditional tools such as comparative anatomy and functional morphology have led to an outstanding expansion in our knowledge of early Euarchontan evolution, but certain aspects of life history and functional patterns have continued to be out of reach. Techniques in biomechanics and material sciences could aid in our reconstruction of extinct organisms, but because of requirements of destructive analysis in many biomechanical procedures, these avenues have been greatly under utilized. Within the last few years, new tools originally designed for the material sciences such as microindentation, have been used to provide a detailed data set for bone properties on a microscopic scale. New research is attempting to correlate these data with images from micro-CT scans. This new technique will create infinite opportunities in the field of paleomechanics.
Honors Thesis Title
Structural and material compliance in the alveolar process of colobine mandibles
Primary Faculty Advisor: Dr. David J. Daegling
My honors thesis is aimed at using microindentation and micro-CT data to quantify the structural and material properties of bone within the primate mandible. Current models of skeletal mechanics implicitly assume that bone is bone, and negligible variation exists on a regional scale. My research suggests that this assumption is unwarranted, and bone material stiffness varies drastically independent of its structural component. Data from my research should be incorporated into future models to assure a more justified prediction of bone limitations and stress mitigation.
Representative Publications
Krysko, K.L., M.C. Granatosky, T.M. Bouse, and S.A. Johnson. 2008. Leiocephalus carinatus (Northern Curly-tailed Lizard) Geographic Distribution. Herpetological Review 39:483.
Granatosky, M.C., D.J. Daegling, W.S. McGraw and A.J. Rapoff. 2010. Structural and material compliance in the alveolar process of colobine mandibles. (in prep).
Daegling, D.J., M.C. Granatosky, W.S. McGraw and A.J. Rapoff. 2010. Body mass estimation from femoral head articular area. (in prep).
Thomas, T.M., M.C. Granatosky, and P.E. Moler. 2010. Morphological distinctions in the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle. (in prep).
