back to article Pregnant pause: Ancient JUMBO MARINE LIZARD pushed out sprogs in open ocean

Scientists now believe that gigantic, flipper-bearing mosasaurs – which lived during the Late Cretaceous period – gave birth to their young in the open ocean. It's understood that the marine lizard populated most waters of the Earth more than 65 million years ago. They could grow up to 50 feet long and were described by …

  1. William Donelson
    Happy

    Fabulous headline, Vultures. Surely one of your best!

  2. Mark 85

    The classic out...

    "These findings suggest...." and these findings are based on two specimens. OTOH, it's an interesting theory and until there's more data (specimens), it'll probably remain a theory.

    1. Grikath

      Re: The classic out...

      well it does make sense....

      Mosasaurs and Ichtiosaurs were *very* highly specialised to an oceangoing life, and there's ( technically more "primitive" ) lizards who are (ovi)viviparous. As a matter of fact, oviviviparity is a rather standard adaptation where the conditions are adverse amongst the clades that are ordinarily egglaying. It's not as if Mosasaurs are suited for waddling up a beach, they simply weren't built for it, and reptile ( and assumedly dinosaur) eggs are *not* viable when submerged.

      So the only option would be something that left them swimming, and *still* breed. Not many options there, so the theory is a pretty safe bet, as far as I can tell.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Pirate

      Well, before we can know more definitely...

      You're going to need a bigger boat.

    3. MrDamage Silver badge
      Headmaster

      Re: The classic out...

      You mean hypothesis.

      A scientific theory is one which fits the evidence, has been peer reviewed, and is accepted by the majority of the scieitific peers as being the most plausible, and thus most likely to be true.

      A hypothesis, on the other hand, is basically a scientists opinion based upon facts, findings, and musings, but has not yet been subjected to the peer review.

  3. Bob Dole (tm)

    lol

    I wish scientists would stop making proclamations about stuff that they can't possibly know. We're talking about sifting through a collection of bones found a bazillion years ago.

    1. phil dude
      Boffin

      Re: lol

      were you being sarcastic?

      I don't mind paleontologists having an educated guess about bones etc... There is some very cool stuff that was logically deduced to make some of the modern view of the world possible...

      It beats the uneducated guessing that came before and which always seems to be making a comeback....

      P.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sounds like how a family of Stevenage chavs at a Center Parcs would behave.

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