Reconstructing the Crocodile Mimic: Differentiating Suchomimus tenerensis from Relative Spinosaurids Through Skeletal Reconstruction and Animation
Suchomimus tenerensis
Suchomimus tenerensis
Braincase, Jaw, and Cervical Vertebrae of Suchomimus tenerensis
Project Concept
The use of 3-dimensional models in the dissemination of paleontological discoveries is becoming ever more important in the promotion of spatial understanding of fossil morphology and phylogeny by paleontologists, students, and the interested public. In 1998, paleontologist Dr. Paul Sereno was the head of a team that uncovered a new species of crocodylian theropod named Suchomimus tenerensis. It exhibited features such as an articulated snout of remarkably long, low, and narrow proportions1 and a pincerlike terminal rosette, containing the largest teeth in the skull.2 Throughout the course of this research, a complete digital reconstruction of Suchomimus tenerensis will be created from CT scanned data of its fossilized remains. The resulting 3D models of these specimens will then be the subject of a narrated animation emphasizing the key morphology differentiating Suchomimus from other Spinosaurids. It is the aim of this project to further test the use of advanced scanning, segmentation and 3D modeling/animation software to produce accurate, comprehensive, and dynamic visualizations of paleontological discoveries.
Potential Contribution to Biocommunication
While the results of this research can be assessed in terms of its role in paleontology, the proposed enhancement of visualized bone data will be applicable to many other fields of scientific research. The ability to address questions of organismal morphology, function, and evolution3 using digital models is far-reaching and valuable throughout the scientific community. This research seeks to determine how accurate and efficient these models can be and to which degree contemporary visualization techniques benefit fields of scientific research.
Audience
The target audience to be addressed will be primarily the paleontological community, specifically those conducting research on the family of Spinosauridae. However, it is likely that this visualization will be displayed on the UofC’s Fossil Lab website which is intended to describe their findings to the general public.
