Disparate feeding mechanics between two hadrosaurid dinosaurs support the potential for resource partitioning

The Dinosaur Park Formation (DPF) of western Canada is well known for its diverse fossil assemblage, preserving over a dozen species of large-bodied herbivorous dinosaurs. The high density of large herbivores has raised questions of how these animals were able to coexist and limit competition, leading to several studies investigating the potential for resource partitioning. In the DPF, hadrosaurids are of particular ecological significance because of their abundance, diversity, and complex feeding system. Here, we used 3D muscle reconstructions and finite element analysis to evaluate the mechanical performance of the cranium and lower jaws of the lambeosaurine Corythosaurus casuarius and the contemporaneous hadrosaurine Gryposaurus notabilis to test for the potential of resource partitioning. We found G. notabilis had larger adductor muscles than similarly sized C. casuarius, but the latter had greater mechanical efficiency, resulting in similar bite forces for similarly sized animals. ..., , Disparate feeding mechanics between two hadrosaurid dinosaurs support the potential for resource partitioning

T.W. Dudgeon, and D.C. Evans

DESCRIPTION OF THE DATA AND FILE STRUCTURE
This dataset contains several files, including the muscle reconstructions for ROM 1933 (Corythosaurus casuarius) and TMP 1980.022.0001 (Gryposaurus notabilis) as .blend files, the refined and cleaned meshes of crania and lower jaws used for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for these specimens as .stl files, and variables used in associated analyses as .csv files.

FILES AND VARIABLES

3D FILES
Corythosaurus_ROM_1933_meshes.zip
Meshes for FEA

Corythosaurus_ROM_1933.blend
Muscle reconstructions

Gryposaurus_TMP_1980.022.0001_meshes.zip
Meshes for FEA

Gryposaurus_TMP_1980.022.0001.blend
Muscle reconstructions

BITE FORCES
bite_force_-_jaw.csv
Bite forces calculated for the lower jaws of Corythosaurus, Gryposaurus, and the scaled-up adult Gryposaurus at the predentary, and anterior, middle, and posterior end of...,