Re: Deinosuchus and Tyrannosaurus

[Joshua Dyal <j-dyal@geocities.com>]

Dinogeorge@aol.com wrote:

> Dorsal scutes are a primitive feature for practically all of Archosauria, and
> crocs retain this feature presumably because it is useful to have the back
> protected. It could well have arisen in early archosaurs for protection from
> above from larger predators, such as therapsids. (Incidentally, therapsids
> did not have dorsal scutes. Although I'm not terribly familiar with the
> group, I can't recall any dorsally armored therapsids. This is probably why
> they were able to evolve finbacks and such.)

Weren't there some fragmentary remains found of "primitive" archosaurs
with scales, however?  I'm a bit hazy on this, but I know I heard it
somewhere.

Joshua Dyal
j-dyal@geocities.com