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Re: Champsosaur swimming

Susan Evans worked extensively on these reptiles and she probably is much more suited for this thread than me, however, I recall she once said me that some choristoderans (in general, not specifically Champsosaurus) had a rather rigid trunk, thus (my inference) the snake like option should perhaps be discarded in favour of the crocodile-like.
The tail seems to me less specialized than that of crocs , but if stail scales were high enough this may have at least in part compensated.
for what it is worth,

                                Silvio Renesto

At 00.18 20/01/03 +0100, you wrote: 
> How are Champsosaurs likely to have swum?  In all pictures I see them
> up/down oscillating like otters (or whales).

Really? Look again :-?

> What about croc-style side/side movement?

I've read several times that champsosaurs used exactly this, but more snake-
than croc-style with the whole body.

> Is there any way to tell?

Should be obvious either way from the vertebrae. 

_
        "When they hear of the Way,
        The highest minds hurry up to practice it;
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        They sometimes feel it real and sometimes not;
        The lowest minds laugh at it.
        If they did not laugh at it,
        It would not be the Way."

                                (Lao Tzu)


Silvio Renesto

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