Constraining the body mass range of Anzu wyliei using volumetric and extant-scaling methods

The ability to accurately and reliably estimate body mass of extinct taxa is a vital tool for interpreting the physiology and even behavior of long-dead animals. For this reason, paleontologists have developed many possible methods of estimating the body mass of extinct animals, with varying degrees of success. These methods can be divided into two main categories: volumetric mass estimation and extant scaling methods. Each has advantages and disadvantages, which is why, when possible, it is best to perform both, and compare the results to determine what is most plausible within reason. Here we employ volumetric mass estimation (VME) to calculate an approximate body mass for previously described specimens of Anzu wyliei from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. We also use extant scaling methods to try to obtain a reliable mass estimate for this taxon. In addition, we present the first digital life restoration and convex hull of the dinosaur Anzu wyliei used for mass estimation purposes. We found that the volumetric mass estimation using our digital model was 216-280kg, which falls within the range predicted by extant scaling techniques, while the mass estimate using minimum convex hulls was below the predicted range, between 159-199 kg . The VME method for Anzu wyliei strongly affirms the predictive utility of extant-based scaling. However, volumetric mass estimates are likely more precise because the models are based on comprehensive specimen anatomy rather than regressions of a phylogenetically comprehensive but disparate sample.

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Testing Equid Body Mass Estimate Equations on Modern Zebras—With Implications to Understanding the Relationship of Body Size, Diet, and Habitats of Equus in the Pleistocene of Europe

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.622412 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Juha Saarinen ◽

Omar Cirilli ◽

Flavia Strani ◽

Keiko Meshida ◽

Raymond L. Bernor

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

North America ◽

Body Mass ◽

Size Variation ◽

Mass Range ◽

The Body ◽

Mass Estimation ◽

Body Size Variation ◽

Estimation Equations ◽

Body Mass Estimation

The monodactyl horses of the genus Equus originated in North America during the Pliocene, and from the beginning of the Pleistocene, they have been an essential part of the large ungulate communities of Europe, North America and Africa. Understanding how body size of Equus species evolved and varied in relation to changes in environments and diet thus forms an important part of understanding the dynamics of ungulate body size variation in relation to Pleistocene paleoenvironmental changes. Here we test previously published body mass estimation equations for the family Equidae by investigating how accurately different skeletal and dental measurements estimate the mean body mass (and body mass range) reported for extant Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) and Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga). Based on these tests and information on how frequently skeletal elements occur in the fossil record, we construct a hierarchy of best practices for the selection of body mass estimation equations in Equus. As a case study, we explore body size variation in Pleistocene European Equus paleopopulations in relation to diet and vegetation structure in their paleoenvironments. We show a relationship between diet and body size in Equus: very large-sized species tend to have more browse-dominated diets than small and medium-sized species, and paleovegetation proxies indicate on average more open and grass-rich paleoenvironments for small-sized, grazing species of Equus. When more than one species of Equus co-occur sympatrically, the larger species tend to be less abundant and have more browse-dominated diets than the smaller species. We suggest that body size variation in Pleistocene Equus was driven by a combined effect of resource quality and availability, partitioning of habitats and resources between species, and the effect of environmental openness and group size on the body size of individuals.

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Volumetric Body Mass Estimate and in vivo Reconstruction of the Russian Pareiasaur Scutosaurus karpinskii

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.692035 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Marco Romano ◽

Fabio Manucci ◽

Bruce Rubidge ◽

Marc J. Van den Brandt

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

3D Models ◽

The Body ◽

Late Permian ◽

High Fiber ◽

Borissiak Paleontological Institute ◽

Mass Estimate ◽

Living Tissues

Pareiasaurs (Amniota, Parareptilia) were characterized by a global distribution during the Permian period, forming an important component of middle (Capitanian) and late Permian (Lopingian) terrestrial tetrapod biodiversity. This clade represents an early evolution of sizes over a ton, playing a fundamental role in the structure of middle and late Permian biodiversity and ecosystems. Despite their important ecological role and relative abundance around the world, our general knowledge of the biology of these extinct tetrapods is still quite limited. In this contribution we provide a possible in vivo reconstruction of the largest individual of the species Scutosaurus karpinskii and a volumetric body mass estimate for the taxon, considering that body size is one of the most important biological aspects of organisms. The body mass of Scutosaurus was calculated using a 3D photogrammetric model of the complete mounted skeleton PIN 2005/1537 from the Sokolki locality, Arkhangelsk Region, Russia, on exhibit at the Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow). By applying three different densities for living tissues of 0.99, 1, and 1.15 kg/1,000 cm3 to reconstructed “slim,” “average” and “fat” 3D models we obtain average body masses, respectively, of 1,060, 1,160, and 1,330 kg, with a total range varying from a minimum of one ton to a maximum of 1.46 tons. Choosing the average model as the most plausible reconstruction and close to the natural condition, we consider a body mass estimate of 1,160 kg as the most robust value for Scutosaurus, a value compatible with that of a large terrestrial adult black rhino and domestic cow. This contribution demonstrates that barrel-shaped herbivores, subsisting on a high-fiber diet and with a body mass exceeding a ton, had already evolved in the upper Palaeozoic among parareptiles, shedding new light on the structure of the first modern terrestrial ecosystems.

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Reevaluation of the body mass estimate for the KNM‐ER 5428 Homo erectus talus

American Journal of Physical Anthropology ◽

10.1002/ajpa.23898 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 170 (1) ◽

pp. 148-155

Author(s):

Deborah L. Cunningham ◽

Melinda V. Rogers ◽

Daniel J. Wescott ◽

Robert C. McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Homo Erectus ◽

The Body ◽

Mass Estimate

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The Body Sizes and Proportions of the Sunghir People

The People of Sunghir ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199381050.003.0014 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Erik Trinkaus ◽

Alexandra P. Buzhilova ◽

Maria B. Mednikova ◽

Maria V. Dobrovolskaya

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Late Pleistocene ◽

Brain Size ◽

Weight Bearing ◽

The Body ◽

Body Proportions ◽

Mass Estimation ◽

Body Sizes ◽

Methodological Considerations ◽

Body Mass Estimation

Considerations of the body proportions and estimates of body mass and stature of the Sunghir people provide a general baseline for the assessment of a variety of aspects of their paleobiology. They also furnish some indications by themselves. Some of these aspects have been mentioned with respect to sexual assessment of the adult remains (especially Sunghir 1 and 4; chapter 6), and methodological considerations have been addressed in part in chapter 5. What is presented here is a more detailed assessment of size in terms of body mass estimation and stature, and considerations of body proportions to the extent that they can be evaluated for Sunghir 1, 2 and 3. Body mass estimation was discussed in chapter 5, and it is done here exclusively using the dimension of the weight-bearing femoral articulations and/or metaphyses. It provides insights into trends in overall body size and health, but it is also central to the appropriate scaling of other aspects of morphology, from limb length and strength to brain size. Since the early comments of Boule (1911–1913) and Coon (1962), there has been a series of attempts to evaluate the body proportions (principally using limb segment lengths but also body breadth and trunk length) of Pleistocene humans as indications of both ecogeographical patterning among Late Pleistocene humans and possible reflections of their population dynamics (e.g., Trinkaus 1981, 2007; Walker and Leakey 1993; Ruff 1994; Holliday 1997a, 1997b, 2000, 2006a; Trinkaus and Zilhão 2002; Frelat 2007). The critical problem in assessing body proportions is to determine the independent variable. This must be done a priori, based on biological considerations. Stature estimation presents a variety of difficulties among Late Pleistocene humans, given variation in linear body proportions, but it can provide an indication of overall health, especially given the trends evident through the European Upper Paleolithic (Formicola and Giannecchini 1999; Holt and Formicola 2008). Assessments of body proportions depend in part on body mass estimation, and stature predictions depend on body proportions.

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BODY-MASS ESTIMATION IN PALEONTOLOGY: A REVIEW OF VOLUMETRIC TECHNIQUES

The Paleontological Society Papers ◽

10.1017/scs.2017.12 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

pp. 133-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Charlotte A. Brassey

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Laser Scanning ◽

Imaging Techniques ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

The Body ◽

Estimation Methods ◽

Mass Estimation ◽

Surface Laser ◽

Body Mass Estimation ◽

Future Work

AbstractBody mass is a key parameter for understanding the physiology, biomechanics, and ecology of an organism. Within paleontology, body mass is a fundamental prerequisite for many studies considering body-size evolution, survivorship patterns, and the occurrence of dwarfism and gigantism. The conventional method for estimating fossil body mass relies on allometric scaling relationships derived from skeletal metrics of extant taxa, but the recent application of three-dimensional imaging techniques to paleontology (e.g., surface laser scanning, computed tomography, and photogrammetry) has allowed for the rapid digitization of fossil specimens. Volumetric body-mass estimation methods based on whole articulated skeletons are therefore becoming increasingly popular. Volume-based approaches offer several advantages, including the ability to reconstruct body-mass distribution around the body, and their relative insensitivity to particularly robust or gracile elements, i.e., the so-called ‘one bone effect.’ Yet their application to the fossil record will always be limited by the paucity of well-preserved specimens. Furthermore, uncertainties with regards to skeletal articulation, body density, and soft-tissue distribution must be acknowledged and their effects quantified. Future work should focus on extant taxa to improve our understanding of body composition and increase confidence in volumetric model input parameters.

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Expanding the body mass range: associations between BMR and tissue morphology in wild type and mutant dwarf mice (David mice)

Journal of Comparative Physiology B ◽

10.1007/s00360-006-0120-9 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 177 (2) ◽

pp. 183-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Carola W. Meyer ◽

Juliane Neubronner ◽

Jan Rozman ◽

Gabi Stumm ◽

Andreas Osanger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Mass Range ◽

The Body ◽

Wild Type ◽

Tissue Morphology ◽

Dwarf Mice

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Differences in Fat Mass Estimation Formulas in Physically Active Adult Population and Relationship with Sums of Skinfolds

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17217777 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (21) ◽

pp. 7777 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Raquel Vaquero-Cristóbal ◽

Mario Albaladejo-Saura ◽

Ana E. Luna-Badachi ◽

Francisco Esparza-Ros

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Body Composition ◽

Body Mass ◽

Fat Mass ◽

Adult Population ◽

The Body ◽

Physically Active ◽

Mass Estimation ◽

Active Adults ◽

And Training

Changes in body composition and specifically fat mass, has traditionally been used as a way to monitor the changes produced by nutrition and training. The objective of the present study was to analyse the differences between the formulas used to estimate fat mass and to establish the existing relationship with the body mass index and sums of skinfolds measurement in kinanthropometry. A total of 2458 active adults participated in the study. Body mass index (BMI) and skinfolds were measured, and the Kerr, Durnin-Womersley, Faulkner and Carter equations were used to assess fat mass. Significant differences were found between all the formulas for the percentage of fat mass, ranging from 10.70 ± 2.48 to 28.43 ± 5.99% (p < 0.001) and fat mass from 7.56 ± 2.13 to 19.89 ± 4.24 kg (p < 0.001). The correlations among sums of skinfolds and the different equations were positive, high and significant in all the cases (r from 0.705 to 0.926 p < 0.001), unlike in the case of BMI, were the correlation was lower and both positive or negative (r from −0.271 to 0.719; p < 0.001). In conclusion, there were differences between all the formulas used to estimate fat mass; thus, for the evaluation of fat mass with kinanthropometry of an active adult, the use of the same formula is recommended on all occasions when the results are going to be compared or when an athlete is compared with a reference.

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A large hyaenodont from the Lutetian of Switzerland expands the body mass range of the European mammalian predators during the Eocene

Acta Palaeontologica Polonica ◽

10.4202/app.00581.2018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Floréal Solé ◽

Bastien Mennecart

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Mass Range ◽

The Body ◽

Mammalian Predators

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Belly fat or bloating? New insights into the physical appearance of St Anthony of Padua

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0260505 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (12) ◽

pp. e0260505

Author(s):

Jessica Mongillo ◽

Giulia Vescovo ◽

Barbara Bramanti

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Skeletal Remains ◽

The Body ◽

Body Type ◽

Outward Appearance ◽

Mass Estimation ◽

Estimation Equations ◽

Literary Sources ◽

The Face ◽

Body Mass Estimation

Over the centuries, iconographic representations of St Anthony of Padua, one of the most revered saints in the Catholic world, have been inspired by literary sources, which described the Saint as either naturally corpulent or with a swollen abdomen due to dropsy (i.e. fluid accumulation in the body cavities). Even recent attempts to reconstruct the face of the Saint have yielded discordant results regarding his outward appearance. To address questions about the real appearance of St Anthony, we applied body mass estimation equations to the osteometric measurements taken in 1981, during the public recognition of the Saint’s skeletal remains. Both the biomechanical and the morphometric approach were employed to solve some intrinsic limitations in the equations for body mass estimation from skeletal remains. The estimated body mass was used to assess the physique of the Saint with the body mass index. The outcomes of this investigation reveal interesting information about the body type of the Saint throughout his lifetime.

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