Pamela Owen
Senior Paleontology Educator, Texas Memorial Museum
The University of Texas at Austin
Email: powen@mail.utexas.edu
Tel: 512.232.5511
Fax: 512.471.4794

B.A. Biology, California State University, Long Beach (1987)
M.S. Biology, California State University, Long Beach (1994)
Ph.D. Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin (2000)

DigiMorph Contributions

From June 1999 to May 2000 I was the Graduate Research Assistant for this Digital Libraries project at the UT High Resolution CT Facility. Image processing, training of new personnel and initial web site implementation were among my duties. Upon completion of my dissertation in May 2000, my role in the DigiMorph project has evolved into that of a contributing scientist and editor. I also was one of the instructors for the Spring 2001 Digital Methods course.

Research Interests

I am interested in all aspects of mammalogy, but the evolutionary biology of the Carnivora is especially fascinating to me. I conducted my master’s thesis research at the Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries (the infamous "La Brea Tar Pits") in Los Angeles, CA. My research centered on the necks and heads of the felids Smilodon fatalis (saber-toothed cat) and Panthera atrox (American lion), and the canids Canis dirus (dire wolf) and Canis latrans (coyote). I found that the morphology of the atlas-axis complex provides insights into the predatory styles of these animals.

My research focus has lately shifted to another group of carnivorans, the Mustelidae. This delightfully diverse group includes badgers, weasels, otters, and ratels. I am particularly interested in the anatomy and evolution of American badgers. My dissertation includes the description of a new species of extinct American badger. The skull has been CT-scanned and I will eventually add images of the new badger to this website after publication of the description. The CT data certainly add yet another dimension to my understanding of American badger biology and paleontology.

Publications

Owen, Pamela R. 2003. Specialized cranial morphology in the hog badger, Arctonyx collaris, elucidated by high-resolution X-ray computed tomography. 83rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists, Abstract 144.

Owen, Pamela R. 2002. Primitive American badgers (Mustelidae, Taxidiinae) from the late Clarendonian of Nebraska. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22(Suppl. 3):94A.

Owen, Pamela R. 2002. Cranial morphology and evolution of taxidiine badgers elucidated by high-resolution X-ray computed tomography. 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists, Abstract 22 (pp. 10-11).

Owen, Pamela R. 2001. Description of a new genus and species of American badger (Taxidiinae) utilizing high-resolution X-ray computed tomography. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21(Suppl. 3):86A.

Rowe, T., Colbert, M., Ketcham, R., Maisano, J., and Owen, P. 2001. High-resolution X-ray computed tomography in vertebrate morphology. Journal of Morphology 248(3):277-278.

Owen, Pamela R., Christopher J. Bell, and Emilee M. Mead. 2000. Fossils, diet, and conservation of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes). Journal of Mammalogy 81:422-433.

Owen, Pamela R. and Christopher J. Bell. 1998. A fossil black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) from Cathedral Cave, White Pine County, Nevada. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18(Suppl. 3):68A.

Owen, Pamela R. 1996. Morphological variability of the atlas-axis complex of large carnivorans from Rancho La Brea: Reflections of predatory style. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16(Suppl. 3):57A.

Owen, Pamela R. 1996. The problematic mustelid from the Pliocene of Texas: another look at Canimartes cumminsii Cope, 1892. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, South-Central Section 28(1):56-57.

Owen, Pamela R. 1993. A factor analytic approach to the functional assessment of the atlas-axis complex of Rancho La Brean carnivorans Smilodon fatalis and Canis dirus. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 13(Suppl. 3):51A.

Owen, Pamela R. 1992. Skeletal Remains of a juvenile Bison sp. (extinct bison) from the Page Museum Salvage, Rancho La Brea. Current Research in the Pleistocene 9:109-110.

Owen, Pamela R. 1991. The atlas of Smilodon. The Annual Meeting of the Southern California Academy of Sciences Abstract 17.