David Marjanovic wrote:
> What about the hyperphalangy in ichthyosaurs? And isn't the pteroid bone in > pterosaurs analogous to the panda thumb, also an altered (meta)carpal? > > Raymond Thaddeus C. Ancog > Mines and Geosciences Bureau > Philippines
Hyperphalangy is the phenomenon that the digits have more phalanges than usual, not that there are more digits; this is very common in sea-living tetrapods (sauropterygians, whales). The pteroid bone... hm. Might be the ossified base of a tendon; it is not a metacarpal.
Sorry, I should have used hyperdactyly, which is also observed in ichthyosaurs.
Raymond Thaddeus C. Ancog Mines and Geosciences Bureau Philippines