[crpntr@ix.netcom.com: Re: [PLESIOSAURS:Ballast stones, necks, and noses.]]

["Mickey P. Rowe" <mrowe@indiana.edu>]

I forwarded one of the plesiosaur gastrolith  messages to Ken
Carpenter.  The following is his response (he seems to be right about
the archives; I don't know what's going on there...  All I found of
August was one message claiming to be from August 4th stuck at the end
of July). -- MR

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From: crpntr@ix.netcom.com
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 11:05:07 -0500 (CDT)
To: mrowe@indiana.edu
Subject: Re: [PLESIOSAURS:Ballast stones, necks, and noses.]

Hi Mickey,

I checked the Dino list srchives for the previous messages on this
topic but none of August is available.  Anyway, to answer the
question, it is true that there is a correlation between neck length
and the presence of gastroliths in plesiosaurs.  No short neck have
them and only long necked do. The role of gastroliths as ballast has
been discussed numerous times. I can send refs if requested.

Ken

Kenneth Carpenter
Department of Earth Sciences
Denver Museum of Natural History
2001 Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80205

crpntr@ix.netcom.com