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Nature 432, 23-24 (4 November 2004) | doi:10.1038/432023a; Published online 3 November 2004

Wandering nostrils

Philippe Janvier1

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A small matter of head anatomy has long been a cause of controversy among those interested in vertebrate evolution. An answer that may prove generally palatable now emerges from an ancient fossil fish.

The structures known as choanae may seem obscure. But we've all got them; they are the 'internal nostrils' that form the passage between our nasal cavity and throat that we use for breathing when our mouth is closed.

  1. Philippe Janvier is at the CNRS Unité Paléobiodiversité, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 8 Rue Buffon, Paris 75005, France, and the Natural History Museum, London.
    e-mail: Email: janvier@mnhn.fr

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