Data from: A method for deducing neck mobility in plesiosaurs, using the exceptionally preserved Nichollssaura borealis

The elongate-necked aquatic plesiosaurs existed for 135 million years
during the Mesozoic. The function of this elongate neck is a point of
debate. Using computed tomography (CT) and 3-dimensional (3D) modelling,
the range of motion (ROM) of the plesiosaur *Nichollssaura borealis* neck
was assessed. To quantify the ROM, the intervertebral mobility was
measured along the cervical vertebral column. This was done by
manipulating the 3D models in the lateral and dorso-ventral directions
during two trials. The first assessed the mean intervertebral ROM between
pairs of cervical vertebrae along the entire column, and the second
assessed ROM with reduced intervertebral spaces. The results suggest that
there may be preference for lateral neck movements in *N. borealis*, which
could correspond to an ecological function related to prey capture. This
study demonstrates that 3D modelling is an effective tool for assessing
function morphology for structures where no good modern analogue exists.