Re: Caudipteryx and "Whulks"

[Dennis C Hwang <dchwang@itsa.ucsf.edu>]

On Thu, 26 Aug 1999 Danvarner@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 8/26/99 3:20:02 PM Pacific Daylight Time, Jonkeria@aol.com 
> writes:
> 
> << 
>  The complete lack of probable planktivorous (suspension-feeding) seagoing 
>  reptiles in the Mesozoic is indeed a puzzler, and although people like Mike 
>  Everhart or Dan Varner could probably answer this question much better than 
>  I, one answer is that diapsid reptiles, unlike marine mammals, do not have 
>  the morphology needed to form a tight seal at the back of the mouth in order 
>  to expel unwanted water but retain plankton. Also, of course the reptiles 
>  have no neck slits like gills which fish use to filter feed.  >>

Presumably, the filter-feeding pterosaurs (_Ctenochasma_, _Pterodaustro_)
didn't need this tight seal, since they weren't aquatic?
 
>   You pretty much say it all. 
>   There is a very strange pliosaurid(?)( Darren, help!) from South America 
> that is known mainly from pen-and-ink drawings to my knowledge- I tried to 
> find a reference, maybe someone out there can help me.
>   The oceans literally bloomed in the Cretaceous, hence the name. 
>   A very interesting survivor of the K/T event is the whale shark, 
> Rhinocodon(?).

_Rhincodon typus_ (and the subject of numerous misspellings throughout the
literature :)  I didn't know they were known from the Cretaceous.
Fascinating. :)

> This is one animal that really shouldn't have made it across 
> the threshold. But I'm glad it did and hope to see one someday. Perhaps it 
> survived because it is not strictly a filter-feeder. Dan Varner.
> 

--Dennis
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*   dchwang@itsa.ucsf.edu   *   xenopathologist at large!   *
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*    "Why would the government want to turn Scully into     *
*    a bimbo?"           -- Frohike, THE X-FILES 5/2/99     * 
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