Widespread convergence towards functional optimisation in the lower jaws of crocodile-line archosaurs

Extant crocodilian jaws are subject to functional demands induced by feeding and hydrodynamics. However, the morphological and ecological diversity of extinct crocodile-line archosaurs is far greater than living crocodilians, featuring repeated convergence towards disparate ecologies including armoured herbivores, terrestrial macropredators, and fully marine forms. Crocodile-line archosaurs therefore present a fascinating case study for morphological and functional divergence and convergence within a clade across a wide range of ecological scenarios. Here we build performance landscapes of two-dimensional theoretical jaw shapes to investigate the influence of strength, speed and hydrodynamics in the morphological evolution of crocodile-line archosaur jaws, and test whether ecologically convergent lineages evolved similarly optimal jaw function. Most of the 243 sampled jaw morphologies occupy optimised regions of theoretical morphospace for either rotational efficiency, resistance to Von..., , , # Widespread convergence towards functional optimisation in the lower jaws of crocodile-line archosaurs

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dbrv15f6n](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dbrv15f6n)

The following dataset contains all raw data and secondary files needed to repeat the study linked above. Lateral jaw images of crurotarsans contained within were used to create a morphospace of theoretical 2D lateral jaw images that can were then subjected to functional testing. The resulting functional landscapes (also contained herein) can be used to assess the importance of function on crurotarsan jaw evolution. The dataset also contains files needed to carry out other analyses presented in the manuscript including the phylogenetic tree and convergence metrics.

## Description of the data and file structure

1\. File List:

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1. File List:
- .tif files: jaw outline images, lateral (no prefix) and dorsal (can be opened in most image viewing software)
- ProjectCode.m: MATLAB script file containi...