WALKING LIKE GIANTS: THE EVOLUTION OF FORM AND FUNCTION OF THE LOCOMOTIVE POSTURE IN TITANOSAURIA (DINOSAURIA, SAUROPODA)

• Grant number: 24/01597-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: July 15, 2024
• End date: December 14, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Paleozoology
• Principal Investigator: Felipe Chinaglia Montefeltro
• Grantee: Julian Cristian Gonçalves da Silva Junior
• Supervisor: Gabriel de Souza Ferreira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/14694-3 - Walking like giants: the evolution of Form and Function of the locomotive posture in Titanosauria (Dinosauria, Sauropoda), BP.PD

Abstract

Sauropods, a distinctive group of dinosaurs recognized by their long necks, tails, and four columnar limbs, achieved their notable body mass through anatomical adaptations, particularly in the fore and hind limbs, ensuring better mass distribution. This evolution is particularly pronounced in Titanosaurs, a diverse Cretaceous group, predominantly in South America, now acknowledged as the largest land animals in history. Ichnological and anatomical analyses reveal that the gigantism observed in Titanosaurs resulted from a shift in body posture. Initially displaying a narrow-gauge pattern, where hand and foot footprints closely approached or intersected at the midline, they evolved towards a wide-gauge pattern due to changes in humerus and femur morphology. Despite being a crucial factor for their size increase, this aspect remains underexplored, lacking empirical testing in previous hypotheses. To address these knowledge gaps, this project aims to comprehensively analyze the Form and Function changes in sauropod limbs. Initially, specimens will be digitized using photogrammetry, facilitating subsequent reconstruction of musculature and associated structures (cartilage and tendons). Geometric Morphometry will assess changes in limb anatomy, while Finite Element Analysis, a technique simulating muscle responses to internal and external forces, will evaluate limb function. The combination of Finite Element Analysis with Geometric Morphometry represents an unprecedented approach to studying posture changes. The anticipated results are expected to fill biomechanical knowledge gaps, shedding light on how sauropods evolved into the largest terrestrial beings in history.