Pseudoplesiosaurs

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http://monsterscience.org/wordpress/?p=121

^ Please take the time to read this, it's lengthy but I found this very interesting. ^ What do you all think of it?

It's certainly interesting but I don't think it's a possibility it's a plesiosaur. I don't believe they still exist as living creatures. Surely we would have found proof if they still existed, fresh bones, carcasses, live specimens etc.

I have seen this article before. I am not 100 sure it is or oisn't a reminant. Most likely it is a shark that has been bred with an other type of shark and created deformities which could be mistaken for plesiousaur type deminsions. This has been document with reef sharks that they can interbreed with some interesting results. Most of the offspring die off at a young age. Also their are instances of reminants surviving until modern age like the conifer and pine forest in NSW, australia and the ceolacanth.

If it was a plesiasaur, it could be proof that the species has survived. One likelyhood being that the animals are being eating at a mature age just after reaching sexual maturity and breeding once, Lots of species change behavioural patterns at sexual maturity which could put them in line with preditors. Eg sea turtles. ect.

I have no idea if it is real or not. I will go with hoax or mutated shark until substanial scientific proof is found.

After reading the article I am happy to accept the idea that it is simply a basking shark in an advanced state of decomposition, and the lower jaw and gills are missing, giving the impression of an elongated neck and small pointed head.

[img][800:979]http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/rabbitears1/pseudoplesiosaur.jpg[/img]

Thanks for replying.

Yes I read that and I pretty much agree. I still had to write out other possibilities. Why, I like thinking about the possibilities and it is fun to think about. Plus any opportunity to talk about a special interest.

It's funny, reading that article actually taught me as much about Sharks as it did Plesiosaurs. I found it slightly spooky too. Anything about what's lurking at the murky depths of the sea gives me a bit of a chill up my spine.

How long have you been interested in palaeontology then? And is there any animal you specialise in?

I have been interested in paleontology since I was about 4 and kept asking random people what the difference between prosauropods and sauropods were. That got me interested in the evolutionary side of dinosaurs. And then Michael chricton has a lot to answer for when I read Jurassic park back in 1991. I am a bit of a dinosaur nut but I also like mega fauna and other extinct mammals. Mostly I like the evolution side and stratigraphy side of things. The evolution of micro organism's is also very interesting.

What about those Antoplesiosaurs and Synonymosaurs?

I'm currently reading Jurassic Park. I read the Lost World (Crichton version) a few weeks ago and they are two of the best books I've ever read, not just for the fact they are packed with dinosaurs, but also how cleverly he explains certain biological and evolutionary theories using the characters. It is so thought provoking and I keep getting moments that make me go "Ahh yeah!" due to the realisation of something so simple but not something I'd given much thought about before. Other times he has sort of delved into my unconscious and explained theories that I agree with but hadn't been able to articulate properly and express through words. Reading those books just makes things seem to click into place.

I have watched the Jurassic Park films many times, and as much as I like them, I have to say they are no contest for the books. Things which seem like blunders in the films are actually carefully and rationally explained within the books, and therefore seem much less far-fetched. The films miss out so much of the important details that make the stories seem truly real.

Anyway, obviously I adore Parasaurolophi and have researched them extensively. Recently I visited a museum with a few people from WrongPlanet and saw the excellently preserved and almost complete skeleton of Hauffiosaurus tomistomimus, a newly described species found by students from the University of Manchester, and it's the holotype. I was very excited to witness this and learn about it and it's kind of set me off on a plesiosaur fixation. One of the volunteers at the museum told me that plesiosaur studies are somewhat neglected and they need people in the field to research them, which has fuelled my interest in them even further as it's one of the few careers in palaeontology that is actually looking for people. Unfortunately other areas in vertebrate palaeontology are almost impossible to get into as a career unless you are already a reputable figure in that field, but I hold out hope for myself when it comes to plesiosaur studies. Ideally I would also love to study Parasaurolophi but until more good condition specimens are unearthed, it would be highly unlikely I would have anything original to add, although I could always teach people about them. That could be a possibility one day.

Firstly though I need to go on a palaeontology course....

http://monsterscience.org/wordpress/?p=140

Another very interesting article on the matter.

eventually i want to work as an xray lab technician in a museum working with bone fragments. I have studied archaeology so most likely with my background as an xray technician in customs, a degree in archaeology and hopefully i will go onto post grad work after my degree in paleontology, i will have a sound career base to work in one of the major museums working with fragmented remains. Hopefully with a minor in stratigraphy, it will mean, i will have a door into training with trace sequencing machines which are starting to get incorporated into some lab work. I am amping up my volunteer work with the local museum and the local zoo's to get a sound base. I wish i had the freedom to go on field work placements as i am quite lucky to have one of the best sites in the world for precambrian invertebrates on my door step, a few hours north, and i frequently go hiking up there. My area also has the highest incidence of opalised fossils in the world too. Really interesting stuff.

That's great! You really seem to have your prospects well planned out. I wish I could say the same for myself, but, I'm still young. I still have time.

I just wish I kept up my original phase of palaeontology interest when I was 8 years old, I could have been in university by now, with a focussed goal in my sights. I was sort of forced out of my interest by teasing by the other kids.

I was also. I am only 25. I finished university the first time with a couple of degrees in worthless fields. I kind of only went because it was expected of me. I chose archaeology because Dr Jackson is cool. Why else would a 16yr old choose to study something? I don't like talking about my education background or interests too much because even on here, i have found myself being teased. The hardest subjects i am finding are the maths subjects just because it has been so many years since i last studied maths (over a decade). They have these new fangled things called graphics calculators now.

At my university which is ranked in the top 10 world wide for paleontology, there is only 6 students over the 3 undergraduate years. Not many people choose to study this field as it is "boring" Also yes there is fierce competition especially if you wish to go post grad. I am aiming for a 90% average to try to secure my place.

Anyway i must be off to bed, being after midnight and i have a 8am lecture tomorrow. ouch