Raúl Orencio Gómez, PhD
Evolutionary Biologist | Paleontologist | Illustrator
Welcome (or welcome back)! I'm an evolutionary biologist and paleontologist from Argentina working on the morphology, paleobiology and evolution of the skeleton of small vertebrates, such as frogs, snakes, and birds. Since 2004 I have also been teaching Paleontology and Vertebrate diversity at the University of Buenos Aires. In my facet as an illustrator, I combine science and art whenever I can, illustrating my own work or using my drawings as an outreach tool.
Research Interests
My research interests can be framed in a few major thematic areas in the realms of Comparative Anatomy, Evolutionary Biology, and Paleontology of small non-mammalian tetrapods. Basically amphibians and reptiles, including birds!
My investigations in all these groups share a common broad aim: to elucidate patterns of diversity and evolution of the skeleton (or certain skeletal parts) with a deep-time perspective.
The groups that I currently study the most, such as frogs, snakes, and birds, have unique skeletons among living vertebrates and at the same time are hugely diverse, which makes them good candidates for large-scale evolutionary approaches.
Projects
Along with Jimena Lois-Milevicich
Evolutionary morphology of the skull of New World Blackbirds
Derived from my postdoc
Phylogeny and evolutionary morphology of living and extinct pipid frogs
Along with Fernando Garberoglio, Sebastián Apesteguía, Michael Caldwell, and others
Early snakes from Patagonia: anatomy, phylogeny, and evolution
Along with Ricardo De Mendoza
Evolutionary morphology and ecomorphology of waterfowl
Derived from my PhD
The early history of neobatrachian frogs in South America
Along with Guillermo Turazzini, Celeste Pérez-Ben, and others
Frogs from the Late Caenozoic of South American Pampas
Along with Sebastián Apesteguía
Sphenodontians from southwestern Gondwana
Along with Tomás Ventura
Evolutionary morphology of the skull of bufonid toads
Along with Guillermo Turazzini, Andrés Lires, Celeste Pérez-Ben, and others
Limbs and sacro-caudo-pelvic evolution in salientian amphibians
Along with Jimena Lois-Milevicich
Molecular sexing of neotropical songbirds
