Photo of Virginia Naples

Fields of Interest: Anatomy; functional morphology; mammalogy; forensic sciences; vertebrate paleontology.

Research Interests

Systematics, comparative and functional morphology, evolution and paleontology of living and fossil xenarthrans, carnivorans and cetaceans. Experimental modeling of masticatory mechanisms. Reconstruction of structure and function from fossil materials and fragmentary materials. Generation of new anatomical characters for systematic analyses. Anatomical basis of forensic analysis of human materials.

Representative Publications

Naples, V. L., L. D. Martin and J. P. Babiarz. 2011. The Other Saber-tooths: Scimitar Tooth Cats of the Western Hemishere. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 1-136.

Naples, V. L. and J. S. Miller.  (2010).  A skeleton tells its own story:  Forensic analyses for the science laboratory.  American Biology Teacher, Vol. 72, 3:162-171. 

McDonald, H. G. and V. L. Naples. 2008. Xenarthrans. In: C. Janis, G. Gunnell and M. Uhen (eds.) In: Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America, Vol. 2: Marine Mammals and Smaller Terrestrial Mammals. Cambridge University Press. Pp. 147-160.

Fisher, R. E., K. M. Scott and V. L. Naples. 2007. The forelimb mycology of the pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis). Anat. Rec. 290: 673-693.

L. D. Martin and V. L. Naples. 2006. Mandibular kinesis in hesperornithiform birds.

Rothschild, B. M., C. Rothschild and V. L. Naples, M. Billard and B. Pandero. 2006. Bejel: Acquirable only in childhood? Acta Tropica. October 16, 2006.

Rothschild, B. M., V. L. Naples and L. Barbian. 2006. Bone manifestations of Actinomycosis. Annals of Diagnostic Pathology. February. 10(1): 24-27.

Rothschild, B. M. and V. L. Naples. 2005. Whale of a tale. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 64: 1385-1386.

Naples, V. L. 2005. Xenarthra (Sloths, anteaters and armadillos). In: Grizmeck’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Vol. 13, Pp. 147-154.

Naples, V. L. 2005. West Indian sloths and two-toed tree sloths (Megalonychidae). In: Grizmeck’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Vol. 13, pp. 155-158.

Naples, V. L. 2005. Species accounts. Lesser Haitian ground sloth, Synocnus comes. In: Grizmeck’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Vol. 13, pp. 159.

Naples, V. L. 2005. Three-toed sloths (Braypodidae). In: Grizmeck’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Vol. 13, pp. 161-165.

Rothschild, B. M., F. J. Ruhli, J. Sebes, V. L. Naples and M. Billard. 2004-2005. Relationship between porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia? Paleobios 13: 4-7.

Rothschild, B. M., F. J. Ruhli, C. Rothschild, V. L. Naples, I. Hershkovitz, J. Sebes and M. Billard. 2004-2005. Virgin Europe: Periosteal reaction prior to the 15th century and the potential influence of slavery. Palaeobios 13: 26-31.

Naples, V. L. and J. S. Miller. 2004. Making tracks: The forensic analysis of footprints and footwear impressions. The anatomical Record. Part B: The New anatomist 279B(1): 9-15.

McCall, S., V. Naples and L. Martin. 2003. Assessing behavior in extinct animals: was Smilodon social? Brain, Behavior and Evolution.61(3): 159-164.

Miller, J. S. and V. L. Naples. 2002. Forensic entomology for the laboratory-based Biology classroom. American Biology Teacher 64(2): 136-142.

Naples, V. L., J. S. Babiarz and L. D. Martin. 2002. Redesigning the saber-tooth paradigm. In: Ter-Qua Symposium Series 3: 1-4. Wakefield Dort, (ed.). Institute for Tertiary-Quaternary Studies. Kansas City, Kansas.

Martin, L. D. and V. L. Naples. 2002. Environmental controls for multiple evolutionary events. In: Ter-Qua Symposium Series 3: 37-52. Wakefield Dort, (ed.). Institute for Tertiary-Quaternary Studies. Kansas City, Kansas.

Naples, V. L. and L. D. Martin. 2002. The pelvis in early birds and dinosaurs. In: Proceedings of the 5th Symposium of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution, Zhonghe Zhou and Fucheng Zeng (eds.) Pp. 203-210. Science Press, Beijing, China.

L. D. Martin, V. L. Naples and H. T. Wheeler. 2001. “Did mammoths have non-human predators?” University of Kansas Publications in Anthropology 22. Proceedings of the International Conference on Mammoth Site Studies.

Naples, V. L. and L. D. Martin. 2000. Evolution of hystricomorphy in the Nimravidae (Carnivora; Barbourofelinae): Evidence for complex character convergence with rodents. Historical Biology 14: 169-188.

Naples, V. L. and L. D. Martin. 2000. Restoration of the superficial facial musculature in Nimravids. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 130: 55-81.

 

Degrees

Ph.D., 1980, University of Massachusetts
M.S., 1975, University of Massachusetts
B. S., 1972, University of Massachusetts

Contact

Virginia L. Naples
vlnaples@niu.edu
(815) 753-7820
Office: MO 336, Lab: MO 425
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Nothern Illinois University,
DeKalb, IL 60115