MESO/MOSASAURS & NS

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

Following a comment I made about the possibility of filter feeding in 
mesosaurs, Dwight said...

> Isn't there a theory that they MIGHT have fed something like modern 
> snakes? Didn't someone post something along those lines to the list
> or is the heat here just getting to me?

You're thinking of mosasaurs. 

Mosasaurs were large, late Cretaceous marine platynotan lizards that 
may be closely related to snakes. They had elongate bodies, long and 
laterally compressed tails, and arms and legs converted into paddles 
or flippers. Mesosaurs were small, Permian basal reptiles (or close 
relatives of reptiles) with long, slim skulls whose jaws bristled 
with needle-like teeth.

On something completely different, the latest _New Scientist_ (28th 
August) has an article by Graham Taylor entitled 'Winging It' on the 
'predatory origin of bird flight'. Haven't read it yet, looks OK and 
has some nice photos (though the Berlin _Archaeopteryx_ is upside 
down:)). References a paper I haven't seen: Garner, J., Taylor, G. 
and Thomas, A. 1999. On the origins of birds. _Proc. Royal Society B_ 
266, p. 1259.

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth, Environmental & Physical Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
Burnaby Building
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