WWD MARINE REPTILES

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

What is it with me and marine reptiles? Oh, I know, it's because I'm 
*British*. That's OK then:) Tom Holtz wrote...

> As for the choice of the focus on marine reptiles in the 3rd 
> episode: well, it IS a BBC production, and the production team 
> wanted to focus on Mesozic England for at least one episode.  
> England may not have much in the way of non-avian dinosaurs (outside 
> the Wealden, which was covered in episode 4), but it has buttloads 
> of marine reptiles!!

Though I may get lynched for saying this, the real reasons for an 
episode on marine reptiles were (1) WWD spent a lot of time playing 
with _Liopleurodon_ for the pilot (on the advice of Dave Martill: he 
suggested it as an exciting giant animal that hadn't got much media 
coverage before) and (2) it is cheaper to show animals swimming in 
water than it is to show land animals romping through realistic 
Mesozoic habitats. In fact, that the pilot _was_ the prototype Oxford 
Clay episode (bits of it were shown at SVPCA '98 and much was later 
changed for the final episode - particularly the dinosaurs) reflects 
this latter point.

For those that haven't seen it, the Oxford Clay episode (Savage Seas) 
also includes _Eustreptospondylus_, _Rhamphorhynchus_, horseshoe 
crabs and ammonites. Sauropods (with vertical necks) were in the 
pilot (and are still to be seen in the 'Making of WWD').

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth, Environmental & Physical Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
Burnaby Building
Burnaby Road                           email: darren.naish@port.ac.uk
Portsmouth UK                          tel: 01703 446718
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http://www.naish-zoology.com]