Zachary T Calamari

Asst Professor

Weissman School of Arts and Sciences

Areas of expertise: Comparative biology, evolution, paleontology

Email Address: zachary.calamari@baruch.cuny.edu

Biography
Research and Creative Activity

Zachary Calamari is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences at Baruch College and the PhD Program in Biology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. His research focuses on the evolution of complex anatomical structures using genomics, morphology, and phylogenetic comparative methods. He has studied a broad diversity of mammals, from bank voles to mammoths and mastodons; a major focus of the lab is the horns, antlers, and other bony appendages of even-toed ruminants (Artiodactyla). Found out more at calamarilab.com.

Education

Ph.D., Comparative Biology, Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History New York City

B.S., Geological Sciences and History (dual major), University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Abstracts

Calamari, Z. T., Finck, C. E., Julius, J., Droznik, G. R., & Barden, P. (2022). Did abundant ants lead to abundant anteaters? Assessing the link between ant and termite abundance and the diversity of obligate myrmecophages in extinct and extant Xenarthra. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2022,

Finck, C. E., & Calamari, Z. T. (2022). Total evidence phylogenetic reassessment of the enigmatic Machaeromeryx tragulus (Artiodactyla, Ruminantia) from Upper Harrison (Lower Miocene) of Nebraska. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2022, 143.

Calamari, Z. T., & Ragni, A. J. (2020). Morphological correlates of knuckle-walking: assessing carpal convergence to understand the origins of human bipedalism. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2020, 93.

Calamari, Z. T. (2017). Are bones enough? Using genomic evidence to assess hoofed mammal cranial appendage homology. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2017, 91.

Grohe, C., Lee, B., Calamari, Z. T., & Flynn, J. J. (2017). Run cheetah run: evidence of a recent sensory perception specialization for high-speed hunting (Poster). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2017,

Calamari, Z. T. (2016). Beneath the sheaths: do horn cores of bovids (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) represent living horn shape in geometric morphometric analyses?. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2016, 108.

Calamari, Z. T. (2015). No bone unturned: detecting hard tissue synapomorphies for bovids (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) through total evidence analyses of morphology and mitochondrial, nuclear, and ancient DNA. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2015, 101.

Calamari, Z. T. (2014). A next generation transcriptomics approach to testing homologies in hoofed mammal cranial appendages (Poster). Evolution 2014 Abstracts, 410.

Calamari, Z. T. (2014). Exploring development in the fossil record with ancestral state reconstruction of cranial appendages (Poster). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2014, 103.

Cherney, M. D., Calamari, Z. T., & Fisher, D. C. (2013). No observed effects of climate change on Snowmass mastodon tusk growth. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2013, 104.

Fisher, D. C., Cherney, M. D., Rountrey, A. N., & Calamari, Z. T. (2013). Paleobiology of Snowmass proboscideans (Pleistocene, Colorado). Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 854.

Fisher, D. C., El Adli, J., & Calamari, Z. T. (2013). 3D osteology of the American mastodon. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2013, 127.

Whalen, C. D., Shirley, E., Fisher, D. C., Rountrey, A. N., Calamari, Z. T., Tikhonov, A. N., Buigues, B., Grigoriev, S., Holmes, C. E., & Lacombat, F. (2012). 3D visualization and analysis of CT imaging in two mammoth calves. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 370.

Fisher, D. C., Cherney, M. D., Rountrey, A. N., Beld, S. G., & Calamari, Z. T. (2012). Snowmass mastodon tusks as records of life and death: perspectives on climate change and circumstances of death. Denver Museum of Nature and Science Technical Report 2012-5: Program and Abstracts for the First Snowmastodon Science Team Meeting,

Cherney, M. D., Fisher, D. C., Rountrey, A. N., & Calamari, Z. T. (2012). Isotope analyses support use of CT scans for identifying annual increments in Snowmass mastodon mandibular tusks. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts 2012, 77.

Cherney, M. D., Fisher, D. C., Rountrey, A. N., & Calamari, Z. T. (2012). Isotope analyses support use of CT scans for identifying annual increments in Snowmass mastodon tusks. Denver Museum of Nature and Science Technical Report 2012-5: Program and Abstracts for the First Snowmastodon Science Team Meeting,

Journal Articles

Vida, T., Calamari, Z. T., & Barden, P. (2025). Post K-Pg rise in ant and termite prevalence underlies convergent dietary specialization in mammals. EVOLUTION,

Calamari, Z. T., Droznik, G., Julius, J., Vida, T., & Barden, P. (2025). Ant and termite abundance drove speciation of xenarthrans through the Cenozoic. COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY,

Calamari, Z. T., Song, A., Cohen, E., Akter, M., Roy, R. D., Hallikas, O., Christensen, M. M., Li, P., Marangoni, P., Jernvall, J., & Klein, O. D. (2024). Bank vole genomics links determinate and indeterminate growth of teeth. BMC GENOMICS, 25(1000). 1-18.

Calamari, Z. T., & Flynn, J. J. (2024). Gene expression supports a single origin of horns and antlers in hoofed mammals. COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, 7(509). 1-14.

Calamari, Z. T. (2021). Total evidence analysis supports new synapomorphies for Bovidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla). AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES,

Calamari, Z. T., Hu, J. K., & Klein, O. D. (2018). Tissue mechanical forces and evolutionary developmental changes act through space and time to shape tooth morphology and function. BIOESSAYS, 40(12). 1-11.

Calamari, Z. T., & Fossum, R. (2017). Shape disparity of bovid (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) horn sheaths and horn cores allows discrimination by species in 3D geometric morphometric analyses. JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, 279(3). 361-374.

Calamari, Z. T. (2016). Sexual maturity and shape development in cranial appendages of extant ruminants. ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 6(21). 7820-7830.

Zelditch, M. L., Calamari, Z. T., & Swiderski, D. L. (2016). Disparate postnatal ontogenies do not add to the shape disparity of infants. EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, 43(2). 188-207.

Fisher, D. C., Shirley, E. A., Whalen, C. D., Calamari, Z. T., Rountrey, A. N., Tikhonov, A. N., Buigues, B., Lacombat, F., Grigoriev, S., & Lazarev, P. A. (2014). X-ray computed tomography of two mammoth calf mummies. JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY, 88(4). 664-675.

Fisher, D. C., Cherney, M. D., Newton, C., Rountrey, A. N., Calamari, Z. T., Stucky, R. K., Lucking, C., & Petrie, L. (2014). Taxonomic overview and tusk growth analyses of Ziegler Reservoir proboscideans. QUATERNARY RESEARCH, 82(3). 518-532.

Miller, I. M., Pigati, J. S., Anderson, R. S., Johnson, K. R., Mahan, S. A., Ager, T. A., Baker, R. G., Blaauw, M., Bright, J., Brown, P. M., Bryant, B., Calamari, Z. T., Carrara, P. E., Cherney, M. D., Demboski, J. R., Elias, S. A., Fisher, D. C., Gray, H. J., Haskett, D. R., Honke, J. S., Jackson, S. T., Jimenez-Moreno, G., Kline, D., Leonard, E. M., Lifton, N. A., Lucking, C., McDonald, H. G., Miller, D. M., Muhs, D. R., Nash, S. E., Newton, C., Paces, J. B., Petrie, L., Plummer, M. A., Porinchu, D. F., Rountrey, A. N., Scott, E., Sharpe, S. E., Skipp, G. L., Strickland, L. E., Stucky, R. K., Thompson, R. S., & Wilson, J. (2014). Summary of the Snowmastodon Project special volume: A high-elevation, multi-proxy biotic and environmental record of MIS 6-4 from the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site, Snowmass Village, Colorado, USA. QUATERNARY RESEARCH, 82(3). 618-634.

Presentations

Kitaygorodskiy, D., & Calamari, Z. T. Missing the mark? Landmarking juvenile bison skulls. Northeast Regional Vertebrate Evolution Symposium. Stony Brook, NY: Stony Brook University.

Calamari, Z. T. (2025, November 10). Exploring cranial appendage homology with single nucleus RNA sequencing (Invited). Beckman Symposium. Irvine, CA: Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.

Calamari, Z. T. Cranial appendage gene expression dynamics. Northeast Regional Vertebrate Evolution Symposium. New York, NY: New York Institute of Technology.

Calamari, Z. T. Building a single-nucleus atlas of the fetal horn bud (Invited). Japanese-American-German Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium. Kyoto, Japan: United States National Academy of Sciences, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Calamari, Z. T. Horn and antler gene expression dynamics and evolution (Invited). Biology Colloquium. Rutgers, NJ: New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers Federated Department of Biology.

Calamari, Z. T. A multiomics approach to understand cranial appendage evolution and support undergrad research training. 3rd Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology. Montreal, Canada: Society for the Study of Evolution, Society of Systematic Biologists, American Society of Naturalists, and European Society for Evolutionary Biology.

Calamari, Z. T. (2025, November 10). Building a single-nucleus atlas of the fetal horn bud (Invited). Beckman Symposium. Boston, MA: Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.

Calamari, Z. T., & Flynn, J. J. Assessing horn and antler homology with high-throughput transcriptomics and machine learning. Northeast Regional Vertebrate Evolution Symposium. Boston, MA: Suffolk University.

Finck, C. E., & Calamari, Z. T. Revisiting Machaeromeryx with a total evidence phylogeny, and insights into the relationships of blastomerycine artiodactyls. Northeast Regional Vertebrate Evolution Symposium. Boston, MA: Suffolk University.

Calamari, Z. T. The fossil record of Artiodactyla (Invited). Vertebrate Paleontology (graduate course). New York, NY: Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History.

Barden, P., Calamari, Z. T., & Vida, T. Social insect prevalence in the Cenozoic precipitated dietary specialization among mammals. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting. Vancouver, BC Canada: Entomological Society of America.

Calamari, Z. T. The fossil record of Artiodactyla (Invited). Vertebrate Paleontology (graduate course). New York, NY: Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History.

Calamari, Z. T., & Flynn, J. J. Are horns and antlers homologous? High-throughput-transcriptomic tests of cranial appendage evolutionary origins. Evolution 2019. Providence, RI: Society for the Study of Evolution, Society of Systematic Biologists, and American Society of Naturalists.

Calamari, Z. T. Investigating the homology of ruminant cranial appendages (Invited). New York, NY: Baruch College Student BioMed Society.

Other Scholarly Works

Calamari, Z. T. (2023). Mammals with Headgear (permanent exhibit). American Museum of Natural History.

Research Currently in Progess

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Artiodactyl genome evolution. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Vole models of dental development. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Gene expression and regulation dynamics of cranial appendages. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Shape development of cranial appendages. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Machine learning for shape and gene expression. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). The antler as a model of bone cancer. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Single-nucleus RNA sequencing of fetal cranial appendage tissues. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Genome correlates of convergent crown height evolution in mammals. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Gene expression during shifts between bacterivory and phototrophy in the green alga Cymbomonas tetramitiformis. In Progress.

Calamari, Z. T.(n.d.). Evolutionary relationships of Machaeromeryx tragulus. In Progress.