Paleomass for R-bracketing body volume of marine vertebrates with 3D models

Area of Science:

• Paleontology
• Marine Biology
• Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

• Body mass is a critical organismal characteristic, yet often unavailable for preserved specimens, particularly fossils.
• Estimating body mass for fossil marine vertebrates is limited compared to terrestrial counterparts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new, open-source R package version of Paleomass for estimating marine vertebrate body mass.
• To improve upon the original Paleomass software with a rewritten architecture and enhanced functionalities.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes orthogonal silhouettes to generate two 3D models with superelliptical cross-sections to bracket true volume.
• Employs a new architecture producing 3D mesh models and measuring volume/area using the VCG library.
• Incorporates NACA foil sections for hydrofoils and optional local regression interpolation.

Main Results:

• The new Paleomass version is an open-source R package, inheriting core principles but with a new architecture.
• Achieves high accuracy in body mass estimation, with a mean absolute error of 1.33% when animal silhouettes are known.
• Exports 3D models in polygon meshes for further analysis and compatibility with other software.

Conclusions:

• The revised Paleomass software provides an accurate and accessible tool for estimating the body mass of marine vertebrates.
• This open-source R package enhances paleontological and biological research by addressing a critical data gap.
• The software's improved methodology and output formats facilitate broader scientific application and validation.