Re: Early Icthyosaur skin?

[Danvarner@aol.com]

Michael Lovejoy asks: 
<< Would early lizard-like icthyosaurs (Chaohusaurus, Mixosaurus etc.) have
smooth, naked skin or more typical reptile scaly skin? >>

This question came up when I was working on a picture for Mike Everhart of 
Chaohusaurus. There's a carbon film around the specimen, but that's it as far 
as I was able to go. In the Scientific American article ( 
http://www.karencarr.com/News/motani/1200motani.html ), Karen Carr gave the 
beast a scaley hide. We checked with Motani and he said there was no evidence 
one way or the other, if I recall correctly. I fudged by being 
"impressionisty". Unless there's a specimen that's been eluding me, we just 
don't know. DV