A path to gigantism: Three-dimensional study of the sauropodomorph limb long bone shape variation in the context of the emergence of the sauropod bauplan.

ABSTRACT: Sauropodomorph dinosaurs include the largest terrestrial animals that ever lived on Earth. The early representatives of this clade were, however, relatively small and partially to totally bipedal, conversely to the gigantic and quadrupedal sauropods. Although the sauropod bauplan is well defined, notably by the acquisition of columnar limbs, the evolutionary sequence leading to its emergence remains debated. Here, we aim to tackle this evolutionary episode by investigating shape variation in the six limb long bones for the first time using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. The morphological features of the forelimb zeugopod bones related to the sauropod bauplan tend to appear abruptly, whereas the pattern is more gradual for the hindlimb zeugopod bones. The stylopod bones tend to

SUBMITTER: Lefebvre R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9296025 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature