From Bones to Body Size: Estimating Length in Alligator mississippiensis and Extinct Crocodilians
Abstract
Body size is associated with nearly every aspect of an organism’s biology, and estimation of size in extinct animals is regularly used to characterize their life histories. Prior studies have examined correlation of total body length (TL) to skeletal measurements in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), with some measurements being better predictors of total length than others. Femur length (FL) has been found to be tightly correlated with total body length in A. mississippiensis, and this relationship has often been used to estimate the body size of extinct crocodilians. In this study, we examine correlations of other limb elements (humerus, radius, ulna, and tibia) with TL in A. mississippiensis and their utility for body size estimation of extinct crocodilians. This new methodological approach will facilitate total length estimation for extinct crocodilians known only from these other elements and fragmentary remains.
Start Time
16-4-2025 1:30 PM
End Time
16-4-2025 2:30 PM
Room Number
304
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Grad/Comp Orals
Presentation Category
Science, Technology and Engineering
Faculty Mentor
Blaine Schubert
From Bones to Body Size: Estimating Length in Alligator mississippiensis and Extinct Crocodilians
304
Body size is associated with nearly every aspect of an organism’s biology, and estimation of size in extinct animals is regularly used to characterize their life histories. Prior studies have examined correlation of total body length (TL) to skeletal measurements in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), with some measurements being better predictors of total length than others. Femur length (FL) has been found to be tightly correlated with total body length in A. mississippiensis, and this relationship has often been used to estimate the body size of extinct crocodilians. In this study, we examine correlations of other limb elements (humerus, radius, ulna, and tibia) with TL in A. mississippiensis and their utility for body size estimation of extinct crocodilians. This new methodological approach will facilitate total length estimation for extinct crocodilians known only from these other elements and fragmentary remains.