New ref

["Ralph Chapman" <Chapman.Ralph@NMNH.SI.EDU>]

I just saw this reference and had to mention it on the list. It is:

Kase, T., P.A. Johnson, A. Seilacher & J.B. Boyce. 1998. Alleged
        mosasaur bit marks on Late Cretaceous ammonites are limpet
       (patellogastropod) home scars. Geology 26(10):947-950.

My initial reaction was to be stunned considering the specimens and pictures of 
specimens I've seen of Placenticeras (UK, Pierre Shale) that had to have been 
chomped. However, the paper includes Seilacher, one of the World's brightest 
human beings, and tries to argue that the nature of the markings and limpet 
fossils associated with some argues against what seemed obvious. I suggest a 
reading and if some of you - maybe Neil Larson or someone else with big 
collections - wishes to answer the paper - perhaps with some morphometric 
support (hint, hint) - it would be a neat project to really try and nail this 
down (or not). Could involve simulation work to work out the possibilities of 
getting patterns randomly that mimic the shape of mosasaur snouts so well, etc. 
A nice controlled and short study. Would be tough to figure out how limpets 
orchestrate some of the shapes that seem awfully mosasaurian to me. However, as 
I'm running through the paper, it has a distinct Seilacherian component to it 
which means the apparent folly of it may just turn out to be correct (Dolph has 
an amazing batting average on odd stuff such as this) and, at the least, will 
take some very strong data arguing against it. Of course, a mosasaur tooth in 
shell would help immensely.

Anyway, I was just hoping to stir up trouble. My job as a paleontologist.

By the way, if you've never read any of Seilacher's work, please do. The man 
has done some incredible stuff - although being Dolphed, as someone at Dinofest 
found out after giving a talk, can be a very uncomfortable experience. He tends 
to ask questions that go to the center of a research project and test the base 
of the researcher. Is a neat guy to talk with.

Trouble done,

Ralph chapman