Data from: Shared extremes by ectotherms and endotherms: body elongation in mustelids is associated with small size and reduced limbs

An elongate body with reduced or absent limbs has evolved independently in
many ectothermic vertebrate lineages. While much effort has been spent
examining the morphological pathways to elongation in these clades,
quantitative investigations into the evolution of elongation in
endothermic clades are lacking. We quantified body shape in 61 musteloid
mammals (red panda, skunks, raccoons, and weasels) using the head-body
elongation ratio. We also examined the morphological changes that may
underlie the evolution towards more extreme body plans. We found that a
mustelid clade comprised of Helictidinae, Guloninae, Ictonychinae,
Mustelinae, and Lutrinae exhibited an evolutionary transition towards more
elongate bodies. Furthermore, we discovered that elongation of the body is
associated with the evolution of other key traits such as a reduction in
body size and a reduction in forelimb length but not hindlimb length. This
relationship between body elongation and forelimb length has not
previously been quantitatively established for mammals but is consistent
with trends exhibited by ectothermic vertebrates and suggests a common
pattern of trait covariance associated with body shape evolution. This
study provides the framework for documenting body shapes across a wider
range of mammalian clades to better understand the morphological changes
influencing shape disparity across all vertebrates.