Data collection

Terminology

Osteological maturity: immature, partially mature, and mature

Sexual maturity: juveniles, adults, and old adults

Ontogenetic maturity

Rationale and caveats

Statistical modelling of plesiosaur paedomorphism evolution

Non-parametric regression

Clade-by-clade analyses

Parametric regressions assumption tests

Linear regression statistical modelling

Nonlinear regression statistical modelling

Non-parametric LOWESS regression statistical modelling

Results by clade

Paedomorphism in Plesiosauria

Implications for plesiosaur systematics

Implications for plesiosaur paleoecology - Paedomorphism or nurseries?

The contribution of paleohistology to understanding paedomorphism

Early Cretaceous: changing seas, acquisition of new life history strategies, or poor specimen sampling?

The rate of paedomorphic evolution in Plesiosauria

Paedomorphism and secondarily-adapted tetrapods