Re: Re: Tanystropheus

[Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu (th81)]

>Steve Jackson wrote:
>
>> My problem beast of the day is Tanystropheus. I've got one personal
>> communication and one (old) reference, and they disagree wildly on length
>> (20' vs. 35') and vertebrae in neck (10 vs. 29). One also stated that it
>> was a probable ancestor of modern lizards. Pointers or references would be
>> appreciated!
>
>At the risk of invoking further ire, I would venture that Tanystropheus
>is far too specializes a beast to be the direct ancestor of modern
>lizards.
>
>(But, by God, someone probably has the cladistics to prove me 
>wrong. <g>)

Actually, the have the cladistics to prove you right.

Despite being called the "Prolacertilians" (literally, "before [or
ancestral] to the lizards"), _Tanystropheus and its relatives were
archosauromorphs, not lepidosauromorphs, and thus not lizard kin.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:th81@umail.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661

"There are some who call me...  Tim."