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Analyzing Taphonomic Deformation of Ankylosaur Skulls Using Retrodeformation and Finite Element Analysis

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  • Victoria M Arbour
  • Philip J Currie

Abstract

Taphonomic deformation can make the interpretation of vertebrate fossil morphology difficult. The effects of taphonomic deformation are investigated in two ankylosaurid dinosaur taxa, Euoplocephalus tutus (to investigate effects on our understanding of intraspecific variation) and Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani (to investigate the validity of this genus). The ratio of orbit maximum rostrocaudal length to perpendicular height is used as a strain ellipse, which can be used to determine if ankylosaur skull fossils have been dorsoventrally compacted during fossilization and diagenesis. The software program Geomagic is used to retrodeform three-dimensional (3D) digital models of the ankylosaur skulls. The effects of sediment compaction are modeled using finite element analysis, and the resulting strain distributions are compared with the retrodeformed models as a test of the retrodeformation method. Taphonomic deformation can account for a large amount of intraspecific variation in Euoplocephalus, but finite element analysis and retrodeformation of Minotaurasaurus shows that many of its diagnostic features are unlikely to result from deformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Victoria M Arbour & Philip J Currie, 2012. "Analyzing Taphonomic Deformation of Ankylosaur Skulls Using Retrodeformation and Finite Element Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(6), pages 1-13, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0039323
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039323
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    1. Christoph P. E. Zollikofer & Marcia S. Ponce de León & Daniel E. Lieberman & Franck Guy & David Pilbeam & Andossa Likius & Hassane T. Mackaye & Patrick Vignaud & Michel Brunet, 2005. "Virtual cranial reconstruction of Sahelanthropus tchadensis," Nature, Nature, vol. 434(7034), pages 755-759, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Brandon P Hedrick & Peter Dodson, 2013. "Lujiatun Psittacosaurids: Understanding Individual and Taphonomic Variation Using 3D Geometric Morphometrics," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(8), pages 1-13, August.

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