Sinking a giant: quantitative macroevolutionary comparative methods debunk qualitative assumptions

Abstract

Myhrvold et al.1 suggest that our inference of subaqueous foraging among spinosaurids2 is undermined by selective bone sampling, inadequate statistical procedures, and use of inaccurate ecological categorizations. Myhrvold et al.1 ignore major details of our analyses and results, and instead choose to portray our inferences as if they were based on qualitative interpretations of our plots, without providing additional analyses to support their claims. In this manuscript, we thoroughly discuss all the concerns exposed by Myhrvold et al.1. Additional analyses based on our original datasets2 and novel data presented by Myhrvold et al.1 do not change our original interpretations: while the spinosaurid dinosaurs Spinosaurus and Baryonyx are recovered as subaqueous foragers, Suchomimus is inferred as a non-diving animal.