Original paper
Considerations concerning plesiosaur locomotion
Frey, E.; Riess, J.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen Band 164 Heft 1-2 (1982), p. 193 - 194
2 references
published: Dec 22, 1982
DOI: 10.1127/njgpa/164/1982/193
ArtNo. ESP155016401043, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
In the girdles of Plesiosaurs, there are large areas of attachment for muscles which are moving the limbs down (Robinson, 1975, 1977). The reconstruction of the muscles, which bring the limbs up is much more difficult, because areas of attachment dorsally of acetabulum and glenoid are rare. Muscles inserting at the internal area of the coracoids or pubices and ischia respectively (Robinson, 1975) have to be rejected because of anatomical reasons (see Tarsitano & Riess, this volume). More likely it seems to us that muscles of the proximal basis of the limbs migrated dorsally to insert at the long Neural Spines. Here they could function as levators. However this thesis cannot serve as an answer of the question, why it was necessary for Plesiosaurs to develop 4 large "wings". All recent tetrapods, which fly under water (f. e. penguins, marine turtles, sea lions etc. ) are perfectly well equipped with just 2 "wings".
Keywords
girdles • muscles • limbs • tetrapods • wings • coracoids • pubices • ischia • penguins • marine turtles • sea lions