I use a variety of approaches to study evolution and adaptation in extinct mammals, particularly those of South America. I frequently draw on information from living mammals from throughout the world to determine how these extinct species lived and interacted with one another. Much of this is research is collaborative and involves colleagues and/or students. […]
My fieldwork mainly aims to increase geographic and temporal (time interval) sampling within South America. Most terrestrial mammal fossils from South America come from the southern part of the continent (particularly Argentina). Therefore, my colleagues and I have focused our efforts on other areas, such as Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Some of these localities have […]
I specialize in notoungulate systematics but have published studies on a variety of other South American mammals. Representative publications on various groups are summarized below with links to their full citations. Notoungulates: Much of my research has focused typothere notoungulates, which include interatheres, archaeohyracids, mesotheres, and hegetotheres. Many of these papers have described new species and/or […]
Understanding how extinct mammals lived is what attracted me to the field of paleontology in the first place. Living mammals encompass an amazing diversity of lifestyles and adaptations that are even greater when extinct species are included. Paleobiological studies aim to reconstruct the characteristics and habits of these species. This can be particularly challenging for […]
Macroecology means different things to different people. For me, it encompasses more synthetic studies that try to answer questions of broad interest in paleontology. Such studies frequently raise as many questions as they answer, but continue to refine our understanding of past communities. Because South America was effectively an island for much of the past […]
November 2024: PI Croft presents “Lost worlds of South America” at the monthly meeting of the North Coast Fossil Club November 2024: Our paper synthesizing the paleoenvironment and fauna of Quebrada Honda is published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. October/November 2024: Members of our lab present a talk and several posters at the Society of Vertebrate […]
In 2019, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History exhibited a small “pop-up” exhibit highlighting our NSF-sponsored research on Miocene mammals from Quebrada Honda, Bolivia. You can view the video from the exhibit below.
Want to learn more about the fossil history of South American mammals? Check out my blog, The Rafting Monkey. My posts discuss the latest research on South American mammals and fossil mammal sites as well as interesting tidbits from the archives of paleomammalogy. You can visit periodically to see what is new or sign up to get an email alert every […]
BOOK: Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys
Do you know what a notoungulate is? How about an astrapothere, a necrolestid, or a sparassodont? These are just a few of the fascinating mammals that once called South America home. Unfortunately, these and many other ancient South American mammals left no living descendants and have no close living relatives. As a result, they are […]
One of the primary goals of field research is to document new species occurrences: a species new to science or remains of a species where they haven’t been found before. Most people think that naming a new species is the ultimate paleontological prize. Although finding and naming new species is an exciting and important part […]
Darin A. Croft, PhD
Professor
Department of Anatomy
CWRU School of Medicine
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106-4930
E-mail: dcroft@case.edu
Campus Office: EG-03 (East Wing)
Phone: (216) 368-5268
FAX: (216) 368-8669
