Major Advisor
Education
B.S., Marine Biology, University of Stirling, 2017
MRes, Palaeontology and GeoBiology, University of Edinburgh, 2018
Email
matthew.mckeown@stonybrook.edu
Research Interests
Matthew is interested in the evolution of adaptations for a pelagic lifestyle in metriorhynchoid thalattosuchians. These crocodylomorphs represent the most extreme adaptation to life in the marine environment seen in archosaurs. Matthew’s research will involve studying adaptations across the skeleton of these animals, from cranial adaptations and structures relating to vision in the orbit, to the postcrania, with a focus on limb elements. This will add insight into how metriorhynchoids transitioned from semi-aquatic ambush predators to full marine aquatic pursuit predators. This project will also involve drawing comparisons involving other archosaurs, including sympatric marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, to gain insight into how concurrent lineages of Mesozoic marine reptiles adapted to life in the marine environment from different trajectories.
