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Data from: Anatomical network analysis of sauropodomorph cranial topology

Schuurman, Tim1; Bruner, Emiliano12; Knoll, Fabien1

Published Jul 08, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.prr4xgz2p

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Abstract

The cranium of sauropodomorph dinosaurs is markedly small and diverse in shape. However, the cranial topology of sauropodomorphs was yet to be investigated. The distinct pattern of physical interactions (joints) among the elements (bones) of an anatomical system (cranium) reveals information about its morphology, leading to a better understanding of the clade’s evolutionary radiation. Namely, applying anatomical network analysis to the study of sauropodomorph cranial topology allows us to assess whether a given morphological change is more likely to be driven either by functional adaptation or by spatial constraints. Networks of the cranium of a sample of 14 sauropodomorph species were built, each comprising roughly 40 nodes and over 100 edges, and analysed at two scales: the individual bones (locally) and the cranium in its entirety (globally). Locally, the results suggest that, in most species, the bones of the braincase and the maxilla were especially susceptible to sustaining and enforcing major spatial constraints, which probably channelled their morphological evolution. Globally, Williston’s Law is not supported in Sauropodomorpha, although a discrete topological discrimination between non-sauropod and macronarian sauropodomorphs based on the integration of their cranium is observed. Moreover, the community structure of the sauropodomorph cranium follows, most notably, a rostrocaudal modular pattern compatible with their overall morphogenetic separation into the snout and the braincase.