Re: looking for a primitive varanid

[Jura <pristichampsus@yahoo.com>]

Yeah, last I remember hearing, varanids were
considered sister groups to mosasaurs, but that's it.

Of course this then leads into the whole "where do
snakes go" thing. Ah, ain't systematics fun? >:)

Jason

--- Danvarner@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 1/20/2005 5:20:44 PM Eastern 
> Standard Time, 
> davidrpeters@earthlink.net writes:
> 
> << Mosasaurs and  their predecessors would seem to
> be derived from 
> Varanus-types, because they  have legs, but Varanus
> apparently has fewer and looser bone 
> connections in the  skull. >>
> 
> I'm way behind in this stuff, but I  believe
> varanids are out of the picture 
> as far as mosasaurs are concerned.  Hopefully
> someone has something more 
> recent, but these two refs are at least a  start.
> 
>
http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/paleontology//pub/grd2/gsa07.htm
> 
> http://www.vertpaleo.org/jvp/15-516-531.html   
> 
> 


=====
"I am impressed by the fact that we know less about many modern [reptile] types 
than we do of many fossil groups." - Alfred S. Romer


                
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