HALLETT, M.: Anatomical Principles of Reconstructing Extinct Organisms and Their Uses in Entertainment Art

Dinosaurs and other extinct organism are rarely known from anatomical systems other than the skeletal system. Nonetheless, a detailed interpretation of muscular structure is prerequisite to responsible reconstructions. Detailed muscular reconstructions take into account bony landmarks of muscular attachment, but for those muscles that do not leave obvious marks of attachment on bones, or in animals too small to express heavy rugosities of muscular attachment, artists engaging in paleontological reconstruction necessarily draw on a thorough consideration of comparative anatomy. Knowledge of internal organs’ structure is also critical to correctly proportioning organismal reconstructions. This integrated approach is employed not only in painted and sculptural reconstructions, but also in modeling animals for animated and photorealistic digital films. In the case of animated character design in films like Jurassic Park and Dinosaur , computer animators must necessarily simplify body motions relative to the actual muscles that made the animals move. However, a thorough understanding of the movements produced by actual muscle groups is necessary before such simplification may take place. In film, reconstruction of dinosaurs and other animals logically proceeds to certain aspects of visual development. Visual development of characters and scenes allows the paleoartist to experiment with a broad range of suggestions for character design. Character design encompasses considerations from surface texture and coloration to individual and group behaviors. Such considerations are not random. Rather, they, again, derive from studies of similarly sized large vertebrates from similar environments. Not surprisingly, large mammals often provide a framework and guide to speculation regarding dinosaurs.