Having just covered Mesozoic marine reptiles, and seeing as I can’t find the time to finish anything more substantial, it seems like a good time to use these wonderful images, passed to me by a correspondent. They clearly show the carcass of a freshly deceased, modern-day marine reptile of Mesozoic style. For those in the know, the carcass has a real dolichorhynchopine polycotylid look about it.
Amazing stuff. Good to see that some marine reptiles have evolved a rather novel way to deal with the problems of discharging waste and procreating (do you know what I’m getting at? Say so in the comments). And - - scaly skin? Thanks to Bruce Schumacher.
In other news, lots of seabirds to come real soon. Just have to finish this Aquatic Ape Hypothesis article (and a bunch of other stuff) first.
The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Darren Naish is a science writer, technical editor and palaeozoologist (affiliated with the University of Southampton, UK). He mostly works on Cretaceous dinosaurs and pterosaurs but has an avid interest in all things tetrapod. His publications can be downloaded at darrennaish.wordpress.com. He has been blogging at Tetrapod Zoology since 2006. Check out the Tet Zoo podcast at tetzoo.com! Follow Darren Naish on Twitter
