Data from: Cranial evolution in the extinct Rodrigues Island owl Otus murivorus (Strigidae), associated with unexpected ecological adaptations ...

• Main Authors: Louchart, Antoine, Duhamel, Anaïs, Hume, Julian, Guenser, Pauline, Salaviale, Céline
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2020
• Subjects: Strigiformes; Strigidae; Skull; Osteology; Claude Bernard; Claude-Bernard; Indian; Bubo scandiacus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vdncjsxrj; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.vdncjsxrj

Island birds that were victim of anthropic extinctions were often more specialist species, having evolved their most distinctive features in isolation. Here we studied a fossil cranium of the ‘giant’ extinct scops owl Otus murivorus from Rodrigues Island (Mascarene Islands, southwestern Indian Ocean), to determine any potential unique characters. The fossil and extant strigids were imaged through x-ray microtomography, providing 3D views of external and internal (endocast, inner ear) cranial structures. Geometric morphometrics and analyses of traditional measurements yielded new information about the Rodrigues owl’s evolution and ecology. Otus murivorus exhibits a 2-tier “lag behind” phenomenon for cranium and brain evolution, both being proportionately small relative to increased body size. It also had a much more developed olfactory bulb than congeners, indicating an unexpectedly developed olfactory sense, suggesting a partial food scavenging habit. In addition, O. murivorus had the eyes placed more ... : This dataset comprises fossil cranium FLMR617 of the extinct owl Otus murivorus from Rodrigues Island, and ten crania of extant species of owls (Strigidae), as follows: Otus scops male (UCBL-FSL-SKT 246.2), O. sunia (MNHN-LAC 2000.329), O. senegalensis (MNHN-LAC 1997.476), Megascops asio naevius (UCBL-FSL-SKL 1856-540), Bubo scandiacus male (UCBL-FSL-SKL 2626), B. bubo male (UCBL-FSL-SKL, no number, from Ariège), B. cinerascens (UCBL-FSL-SKL 453, FSL), B. zeylonensis male (MNHN-LAC 1986-05), Athene noctua glaux (UCBL-FSL-SKL 568-379), A. cunicularia (UCBL-FSL-SKL 656-436). Institutions abbreviations: FLMR, François Leguat Museum, Rodrigues, Republic of Mauritius; MNHN-LAC, Laboratoire d’Anatomie Comparée, collection of bird skeletons, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; UCBL-FSL-SKL, collection de la Faculté des Sciences de Lyon de l’Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (Villeurbanne, France), category extant bird skulls; UCBL-FSL-SKT, collection de la Faculté des Sciences de Lyon de ...