Paleontologist Valentin Fischer, who heads the Evolution & Diversity Dynamics Lab. He has led an innovative research project to determine the dimensions of prehistoric marine reptiles based on incomplete fossil remains. This innovative study, recently published in Biology Letters, utilizes mathematical methods to analyze hundreds of measurements from complete skeletons, providing new insights into these prehistoric creatures.
Sticking to ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs and marine crocodiliformes—the most common Mesozoic marine reptiles that there are fossils of—they became the research team’s Holy Grail. Fischer and his colleagues addressed this challenge directly. From this they carefully measured and compared 23 individual markers, including trunk length, vertebral column shape, and fin size relative to body length. By taking this holistic view, they were able to pinpoint the most accurate indicators for estimating total size.
Fischer emphasized the importance of size in understanding the ecology of these ancient animals, stating, “The size of an animal is a key factor in its ecology.” The researchers compared these data with mathematical techniques. They set forth equations that allow estimating the full length of marine reptiles that swam more than 100 million years ago.
One 3D model from the study, a reconstruction of the ichthyosaur Eurhinosaurus longirostris. This model acted as a good baseline to compare and contrast their calculations against. These discoveries greatly enrich our understanding of these fascinating sea-going reptiles. They even develop equations to allow more accurate size estimates from partial fossils. This innovation creates exciting new opportunities for other research within the scientific community.
The publication of this study is significant as it presents a methodology that can be widely adopted by paleontologists, enabling them to better interpret incomplete fossil records. Beyond this, the research will be open to the scientists and engineers working in related fields. This grassroots effort will foster cooperation and incite more research about the sizes and ecological roles of these ancient animals.