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avatar_Stegotyranno420

How does someone make skeletals

Started by Stegotyranno420, April 28, 2021, 06:57:15 AM

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Stegotyranno420

I want to start making skeletals, I wonder how and where to start.


Halichoeres

You start by downloading every descriptive paper pertaining to the taxon you're working with. For some taxa, this might be dozens of papers. For most, it will just be one. You'll probably also want to download descriptive papers for all its closest relatives too, to fill in gaps in either 1) the remains, or 2) the detailed descriptions of those remains. You'll scour the papers for every measurement you can find and sketch each bone in as you find the information. For curved bones, like ribs, you'll have to adjust for that (you don't want to show the full length in lateral view, for example, because some of that length is the curve toward the vertebrae or belly). If a bone is missing from the specimen(s), you can try to predict its shape or size based on relatives. There are formal ways to do this, using software like Mesquite, but you can get pretty far inferring qualitatively too. You might also have to resort to this kind of inference if the authors of the description didn't include measurements for every element, or if it's a mix of specimens and it's not clear which measurement belongs to which (looking at you, Shringasaurus).
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Stegotyranno420

#2
Sorry for the very late response, I didn't see this message, but thanks very much

Stegotyranno420

Okay so using a reference and the knowledge I already knew, I made this mock/test skeletal(specifically the skull) through grossly simplified means.
Rajasaurus Narmadensis
Grey: Full Skull
Yellow: Possible Horn
White: Known Material(based on what I was able to find)

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