In the case of the Galapagos tortise, this makes sense to me. Being cold blooded, these animals would not need to eat for a long period of time, and could therefor endure long ocean voyages.From: "TRUETT GARNER" <DINOBOY@worldnet.att.net> Reply-To: <DINOBOY@worldnet.att.net> To: <Farlow@IPFW.EDU>, <dinosaur@usc.edu> Subject: Re: natatory Geochelone Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2000 11:55:26 -0400
> I can imagine an ankylosaur or other big dinosaur patiently enduring
> such a trip.
Yeah, I've read about that too. Would it be possible that this is because these animals got somehow swept out to sea, and then died of starvation, in the middle of the ocean. Their bodies would swell, and then burst, leaving no buoyancy. The animal would sink and tip over onto it's back (presuming that the back is heavier due to the armor plating, and the lack of flotation, since the guts have sank and rotted). Thus, you would end up with an ankylosaur on it's back in a marine layer.I can't find the ref at the moment , but I definitely remember reading about several ankylosaurids being found in marine formations in the western U.S. If memory serves me , they were found a good distance from any known ancient shoreline and were preserved on their backs.