Mesosaurus

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Mesosaurus
Temporal range: Cisuralian,
299280 Ma
Pre

O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N

Mesosaurus tenuidens

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade:
Parareptilia
Order:
Mesosauria
Family: Mesosauridae
Genus: Mesosaurus
Gervais, 1864-66

Type species
Mesosaurus tenuidens
Gervais, 1864-66

Synonyms

Mesosaurus
brasiliensis
McGregor, 1908

Ditrochosaurus
capensis Gurich,

1889

Mesosaurus
capensis (Gurich,
1889)

Mesosaurus (meaning "middle lizard") is an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of
southern Africa and South America. Along with the genera Brazilosaurus and Stereosternum, it
is a member of the family Mesosauridae and the order Mesosauria. Mesosaurus was long thought
to have been one of the first marine reptiles, although new data suggests that at least those of
Uruguay inhabited a hypersaline water body, rather than a typical marine environment.[1] In any
case, it had many adaptations to a fully aquatic lifestyle. It is usually considered to have been
anapsid, although Friedrich von Huene considered that it was synapsid,[2] and this hypothesis has
been revived recently.[3][4]

Contents

1 Description

2 Palaeobiology

3 Distribution

4 References

Description

Fossil in Milan
Mesosaurus had a long skull that was larger than that of Stereosternum and had longer teeth. The
teeth are angled outwards, especially those at the tips of the jaws.[5]
The bones of the postcranial skeleton are thick, having undergone pachyostosis. Mesosaurus is
unusual among reptiles in that it possesses a cleithrum. A cleithrum is a type of dermal bone that

overlies the scapula, and is usually found in more primitive bony fish and tetrapods. The head of
the interclavicle of Mesosaurus is triangular, unlike those of other early reptiles, which are
diamond-shaped.[6]

Palaeobiology

Restoration
Mesosaurus was one of the first reptiles to return to the water after early tetrapods came to land
in the Late Devonian or later in the Paleozoic.[7] It was around 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length, with
webbed feet, a streamlined body, and a long tail that may have supported a fin. It probably
propelled itself through the water with its long hind legs and flexible tail. Its body was also
flexible and could easily move sideways, but it had heavily thickened ribs, which would have
prevented it from twisting its body.[8]
Mesosaurus had a small skull with long jaws. The nostrils were located at the top, allowing the
creature to breathe with only the upper side of its head breaking the surface, in a similar manner
to a modern crocodile. The teeth were originally thought to have been straining devices for the
filter feeding of planktonic organisms.[8] However, this idea was based on the assumption that the
teeth of Mesosaurus were numerous and close together in the jaws. Newly examined remains of
Mesosaurus show that it had fewer teeth, and that the dentition was suitable for catching small
nektonic prey such as crustaceans.[5]
The pachyostosis seen in the bones of Mesosaurus may have enabled it to reach neutral
buoyancy in the upper few meters of the water column. The additional weight may have
stabilized the animal at the water's surface. Alternatively, it could have given Mesosaurus greater
momentum when gliding underwater. While many features suggest a wholly aquatic lifestyle,[9]
Mesosaurus may have been able to move onto land for short periods of time. The elbows and
ankles had restricted movement, making walking impossible. It is more likely that if Mesosaurus
moved onto land, it would push itself forward in a similar way to living female sea turtles when
nesting on beaches.[6]

Early reconstruction of the skeleton of M. brasiliensis showing many small teeth in the jaws
(MacGregor, 1908).[10]
Fossil embryos of Mesosaurus have been discovered in Uruguay and Brazil. These fossils are the
earliest record of amniote embryos, although amniotes are inferred to have had this reproductive
strategy since their first appearance in the Late Carboniferous. Prior to their description, the
oldest known amniotic embryos were from the Triassic. The embryo fossils of Mesosaurus are
not surrounded by egg shells, suggesting that Mesosaurus, like many other marine reptiles, gave
live birth. If this interpretation is correct, these embryos represent the earliest known example of
vivipary in the fossil record. One Mesosaurus specimen called MCN-PV 2214 clearly preserves
a medium-size adult and a small embryo in utero. Other specimens include small individuals,
which may be embryonic, in association with the bones of larger individuals that may be their
parents.[11]

Distribution

Location of Mesosaurus remains shown in blue.

Mesosaurus was significant in providing evidence for the theory of continental drift, because its
remains were found in southern Africa and eastern South America, two widely separated regions.
[2]
As Mesosaurus was a coastal animal, and therefore could not have crossed the Atlantic Ocean,
this distribution indicated that the two continents used to be joined together.

References
1.
Pieiro, G.; Ramos, A.; Goso, C.; Scarabino, F.; Laurin, M. (2012). "Unusual environmental
conditions preserve a Permian mesosaur-bearing Konservat-Lagersttte from Uruguay". Acta
Palaeontologica Polonica 57 (2): 299318. doi:10.4202/app.2010.0113.
Huene, F. von (1940). "Osteologie und systematische Stellung von Mesosaurus".
Palaeontographica. Abteilung A. Palaeozoologie-Stratigraphie 92: 4558.
Pieiro, Graciela (2008). "Los mesosaurios y otros fosiles de fines del Paleozoico". In D.
Perera. Fsiles de Uruguay. DIRAC, Montevideoy.

 Pieiro, G.; Ferigolo, J.; Ramos, A.; Laurin, M. (2012). "Cranial morphology of the Early
Permian mesosaurid Mesosaurus tenuidens and the evolution of the lower temporal fenestration
reassessed". Comptes Rendus Palevol 11 (5): 379391. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2012.02.001.
Modesto, S.P. (2006). "The cranial skeleton of the Early Permian aquatic reptile
Mesosaurus tenuidens: implications for relationships and palaeobiology". Zoological Journal of
the Linnean Society 146 (3): 345368. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00205.x.
Modesto, S.P. (2010). "The postcranial skeleton of the aquatic parareptile Mesosaurus
tenuidens from the Gondwanan Permian". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30 (5): 1378
1395. doi:10.1080/02724634.2010.501443.
Laurin, Michel (2010). How Vertebrates left the Water (illustrated ed.). University of
California Press. pp. xv + 199. ISBN 978-0-520-26647-6.
Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and
Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 65. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
Canoville, Aurore; Michel Laurin (2010). "Evolution of humeral microanatomy and
lifestyle in amniotes, and some comments on paleobiological inferences". Biological Journal of
the Linnean Society 100 (2): 384406. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01431.x.
MacGregor, J.H. (1908) Mesosaurus brasiliensis nov. sp. IN: White, I.C. (1908)
Commission for Studies on Brazilian Coal Mines - Final Report; (Bilingual report, Portuguese &
English), Imprensa Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 617 p.: Part II, pp. 301-336.
1.

Pieiro, G.; Ferigolo, J.; Meneghel, M.; Laurin, M. (2012). "The oldest known
amniotic embryos suggest viviparity in mesosaurs". Historical Biology. in press.
doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.662230.

Parker, Steve. Dinosaurus: the complete guide to dinosaurs. Firefly Books Inc, 2003. Pg.
90

Carroll, R. L. (1988). Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W.H. Freeman and

Company.

LeGrand, Homer Eugene (1988). Drifting Continents and Shifting Theories: The Modern
Revolution in Geology and Scientific Change (illustrated ed.). Cambridge University
Press. p. 313. ISBN 9780521311052. ISBN 0-521-31105-5.

Margulis, Lynn; Clifford Matthews; Aaron Haselton. Environmental Evolution: Effects of

the Origin and Evolution of Life on Planet Earth. Contributor Clifford Matthews, Aaron
Haselton (2nd ed.). p. 338. ISBN 9780262631976. ISBN 0-262-63197-0.

Sepkoski, J. J. (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of

American Paleontology 363: 1560.
Paleontology portal

Categories:

Prehistoric reptiles of Africa

Prehistoric reptiles of South America

Marine reptiles

Permian reptiles

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