Virtual reconstruction of a Late Jurassic metriorhynchid skull from Switzerland and its use for scientific illustration and paleoart

Sophie De Sousa Oliveira, Léa Girard, Irena Raselli and Jérémy Anquetin

The democratization of 3D techniques in recent years provides exciting new opportunities for the study of complex fossils. In the present contribution, we provide a virtual reconstruction of a partial, disarticulated metriorhynchid (Metriorhynchidae, Thalattosuchia, Crocodylomorpha) skull from the Late Jurassic of northwestern Switzerland. This virtual reconstruction was used to produce high quality scientific illustrations of the whole skull for descriptive purposes. The reconstructed skull also served for the estimation of the total body length of the specimen and to propose a life reconstruction of the animal in its paleoenvironment. In an effort for transparency, we review the sources that were consulted for the life reconstruction and explain the choices that we had to make. 

Torvoneustes jurensis BSY008-465 View specimen

	M3#1037 Left dentary (3 meshes) Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1037   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1038 Right dentary (3 meshes) Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1038   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1039 Left ramus (2 meshes) Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1039   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1040 Right ramus (3 meshes) Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1040   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1041 Left splenial (2 meshes) Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1041   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1042 Right splenial (2 meshes) Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1042   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1043 Frontal and left prefrontal Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1043   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1044 Left maxilla (4 meshes) Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1044   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1045 Right maxilla Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1045   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1046 Left nasal Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1046   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1047 Right nasal Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1047   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1048 Parietal Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1048   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1049 Right postorbital Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1049   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1050 Right prefrontal Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1050   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1051 Right premaxilla Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1051   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1052 Left squamosal Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1052   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1053 Right squamosal Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1053   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1054 Reconstruction of the mandible Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1054   state:published	Download 3D surface file
	M3#1055 Reconstruction of the cranium Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.1055   state:published	Download 3D surface file