During the Mesozoic era 200 to 65 million years, fearsome predatory reptiles reigned over the oceans. These included:
Ichthyosaurs
(Platypterygius; Credit: Dmitry Bogdanov)
Plesiosaurs
(Cryptocleidus; Credit: Nobu Tamura)
Mosasaurs
(Mosasaurus; Credit: Dmitry Bogdanov)
Now new research, published in the journal Science, has determined that many of these Dinosaur Era marine reptile were warm blooded, so they could swim fast over long distances and conquer colder regions.
To make this determination, French geochemists analyzed oxygen isotopes found in the teeth of these prehistoric animals. Fish today, which are cold-blooded, have an isotopic composition that reflects the temperature of the sea water in which they live. Fish during the Dinosaur Era were also cold-blooded, showing similar readings, so differences in the isotopic composition between marine reptiles and fish reflect the differences in their body temperature.
The researchers found that the body temperature of the studied reptiles was constant, whatever the water temperature. This provides strong evidence that the giant marine reptiles regulated their body temperature independently of sea water temps within a range from around 12 degrees to about 36 degrees. The marine reptiles' bodies were mostly 102 degrees Fahrenheit, in the ballpark with the temperature of many warm-blooded animals today, including humans.
If you click here, you can watch a detailed recreation of a mosasaur and plesiosaur battle.
Tags: Dinosaurs, Extinct Animals, Paleontology, Prehistoric Animals, Prehistoric Era
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