RE: plesiosaur lips

[Christian Darkin <christian@darkin.demon.co.uk>]

Hi 
Thanks for that - the skull images are great as reference.  Cheers.

Christian


-----Original Message-----
From: Danvarner@aol.com [mailto:Danvarner@aol.com] 
Sent: 03 November 2006 21:11
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
Cc: christian@darkin.demon.co.uk
Subject: Re: plesiosaur lips

In a message dated 11/3/2006 4:11:48 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
christian@darkin.demon.co.uk writes:

<< Can anyone give me pointers about skin texture - and most
specifically
whether there's any evidence for or against lips?  The  fashion right
now
seems to be to depict plesiosaurs and pliosaurs without  lips (I guess
to
make them look fierce) - but that seems at odds with the  streamlining
of
the rest of the body.

What does anyone think?  >>

Some of the plesiosaurs are so snaggle-toothed it's  difficult to
imagine 
them with extensive "lips". See:
_http://www.oceansofkansas.com/KS-Plesiosaurs/un50132.jpg_ 
(http://www.oceansofkansas.com/KS-Plesiosaurs/un50132.jpg) 

You might make a case for polycotylids, possibly.  Perhaps Dr. Carpenter
has 
some thoughts on this. Mosasaurs probably had them and  I suspect we've
been 
guilty in showing too much in the way of teeth in that  group. DV