Re: questions about the Odontochelys study

[Michael Habib <mhabib5@jhmi.edu>]

Roberto Takata wrote:

> I've read somewhere that, in some marine reptiles, pachyostosis could
> be an adaptation to increase the organism density... Couldn't it be
> the case for the turtle plastron evolutionary development?

Pachyostosis is also important in many diving birds, for what it's 
worth (for sake of an archosaur outgroup comparison and all that).  Not 
to mention some marine mammals.

Cheers,

--Mike


Michael Habib, M.S.
PhD. Candidate
Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
1830 E. Monument Street
Baltimore, MD 21205
(443) 280 0181
habib@jhmi.edu