Data from: Skeletal completeness of the non‐avian theropod dinosaur fossil record

Non‐avian theropods were a highly successful clade of bipedal,
predominantly carnivorous, dinosaurs. Their diversity and
macroevolutionary patterns have been the subject of many studies. Changes
in fossil specimen completeness through time and space can bias our
understanding of macroevolution. Here, we quantify the completeness of 455
non‐avian theropod species using the skeletal completeness metric (SCM),
which calculates the proportion of a complete skeleton preserved for a
specimen. Temporal patterns of theropod skeletal completeness show peaks
in the Carnian, Oxfordian–Kimmeridgian and Barremian–Aptian, and lows in
the Berriasian and Hauterivian. Lagerstätten primarily drive the peaks in
completeness and observed taxonomic diversity in the
Oxfordian–Kimmeridgian and the Barremian–Aptian. Theropods have a
significantly lower distribution of completeness scores than contemporary
sauropodomorph dinosaurs but change in completeness through time for the
two groups shows a significant correlation when conservation Lagerstätten
are excluded, possibly indicating that both records are primarily driven
by geology and sampling availability. Our results reveal relatively weak
temporal sampling biases acting on the theropod record but relatively
strong spatial and environmental biases. Asia has a significantly more
complete record than any other continent, the mid northern latitudes have
the highest abundance of finds, and most complete theropod skeletons come
from lacustrine and aeolian environments. We suggest that these patterns
result from historical research focus, modern climate dynamics, and
depositional transportation energy plus association with conservation
Lagerstätten, respectively. Furthermore, we find possible ecological
biases acting on different theropod subgroups, but body size does not
influence theropod completeness on a global scale.