Estimation of maximum body size in fossil species: A case study using <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i>.

ABSTRACT: Among extant species, the ability to sample the extremes of body size-one of the most useful predictors of an individual's ecology-is highly unlikely. This improbability is further exaggerated when sampling the already incomplete fossil record. We quantify the likelihood of sampling the uppermost limits of body size in the fossil record using Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn, 1905 as a model, selected for its comparatively well-understood life history parameters. We computationally generate a population of 140 million T. rex (based on prior estimates), modelling variation about the growth curve both with and without sexual dimorphism (the former modelled after Alligator mississippiensis), and building in sampling limitations related to species survivorship and taphonomic bias,

SUBMITTER: Mallon JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11267449 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature