Warm-Blooded "Sea Dragons"?

When dinosaurs roamed the land in the Mesozoic (251 to 65 million years ago), the top predators in the ocean were reptiles. Three lineages of Mesozoic marine reptiles (plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs) were especially successful. They were similar to current marine mammals in many respects....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2010-06, Vol.328 (5984), p.1361-1362
Main Author: Motani, Ryosuke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analogies
Carbonates
Fish
Land
Marine fishes
Marine mammals
Oceans
PERSPECTIVES
Physiology
Predators
Reptiles
Seas
Vertebrates
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Summary:When dinosaurs roamed the land in the Mesozoic (251 to 65 million years ago), the top predators in the ocean were reptiles. Three lineages of Mesozoic marine reptiles (plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs) were especially successful. They were similar to current marine mammals in many respects. They fed on fish, cephalopods, bivalves, and other air-breathing vertebrates. Ichthyosaurs evolved dolphin-like body plans. Plesiosaurs became underwater fliers, vaguely resembling sea lions. It now appears that similarities to today's marine mammals extended further: On page 1379 of this issue, Bernard report that some ancient reptiles may have been able to sustain a constant body temperature (i.e., homeothermy).
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1191409