Re: mosasaur babies/no marine dinos

[John Bois <jbois@umd5.umd.edu>]

Thank you...yes, of course...I'm sorry, I meant but didn't say very large
marine archosaurs.  How would you compare metriorhynchids to mosasaurs
with regards fishy body style?

On Tue, 1 Jan 2002 KiernanCR@aol.com wrote:

> 
> <<  I would like ask the question this inference
> suggests: why no archosaur marine creatures?  >>
> 
> At least two groups of archosaurs, the crocodylians (specifically 
> mesosuchians), repeatedly produced secondarily marine lineages. First, the 
> crocodylians (specifically mesosuchians), including the metriorhynchids, 
> teleosaurids, dryosaurids, and pholidosaurids. The metriorhynchids were by 
> far the most adapted to a marine enviroment, though I don't believe we have 
> any data to suggest, directly, viviparity or ovoviviparity. Also, of course, 
> we have the penguins (which you mention) and the very marine-adapted 
> hesperornithids. So, we *do* have marine archosaurs, even marine avian 
> theropods.
> 
> Caitlin R. Kiernan
>