Cranial Musculature in Herbivorous Dinosaurs: A Survey of Reconstructed Anatomical Diversity and Feeding Mechanisms

Herbivorous dinosaurs exhibited diverse cranial feeding mechanisms. Although osteological, microwear, and biomechanical research has revealed some of this diversity, the evolutionary reorientation of cranial musculature throughout nonavian herbivorous Dinosauria and its influence on feeding mechanisms requires more study. Here, cranial muscle reconstructions in herbivorous dinosaurs are reviewed and informative anatomical characters are compared across 142 dinosaur genera (84 ornithischians, 36 sauropodomorphs, and 22 herbivorous nonavian theropods), both through examination of specimens and literature. Traits include those relating to the temporal region, adductor chamber, palate, and mandibular attachments, such as the coronoid elevation and retroarticular process. Findings reveal many combinations of anatomical traits influencing a diversity of feeding mechanisms. Some primarily more orthal feeders, including herbivorous theropods, nonsauropod sauropodomorphs, basal ornithischians, and derived stegosaurs (which also show varying degrees of coinciding slight palinal motion and long-axis hemimandibular rotation), possess traits indicative of more prominent temporal musculature and moderately sized palatal musculature. However, orthal feeding sauropods and pachycephalosaurs possess traits indicative of greatly reduced, low-angled temporal musculature, and enhanced palatal musculature producing a primarily vertical, orthal feeding vector. Among ankylosaurs, hadrosaurids, and neoceratopsians, a rostrolabial temporal muscle expansion is present (with a tall coronoid elevation in hadrosaurids and ceratopsids) for greater temporal muscle support and mechanical advantage for complex palinal feeding motions. This also aids in long-axis hemimandibular rotation against the predentary in hadrosaurs and ankylosaurs. This diversity in cranial muscle architecture provides an informative spectrum of numerous adaptations acquired given the evolution of various anatomical constraints in the skull. Anat Rec, 2019. (c) 2019 American Association for Anatomy