Did Mesosaurus live on land?

Mesosaurus were among the first reptiles to live in and around water, and they spent most of their lives in the water. However, their bodies weren’t built for swimming long distances, so they stayed close to land.

Where did Mesosaurus live when the continents?

Remains of Mesosaurus, a freshwater crocodile-like reptile that lived during the early Permian (between 286 and 258 million years ago), are found solely in Southern Africa and Eastern South America.

What was the land like where Mesosaurus fossils are found?

Chapter 1: What is the land like where Mesosaurus fossils are found? Students figure out: The Mesosaurus fossils are found in hard, solid rock on two different plates of Earth’s surface: the South American and African plates. Earth’s outer layer is made of hard, solid rock, and divided into sections called plates.

Was Mesosaurus an aquatic animal?

Mesosaurus is considered one of the earliest aquatic relatives of reptiles and mammals [1]. Because of all these characteristics, mesosaurs were considered fully aquatic and scientists believed that they rarely, if ever, came out of the water.

What environment did the Cynognathus live in?

Cynognathus, genus of extinct advanced therapsids (mammals and their relatives) found as fossils in Lower Triassic deposits (251 million to 245.9 million years ago) in South Africa and South America.

How did the Mesosaurus move?

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. Mesosaurus had a small skull with long jaws.

What is the land like where Mesosaurus fossils are found quizlet?

What is the land like where the Mesosaurus fossils are found? The fossils are found in both South America and Africa, about 4,000km apart. Why are fossils of speices that once lived together found in diffent locations on Earth now? The plates can move causing landmasses to move apart from each other.

How long did Cynognathus live on Earth?

Take a look at some unusual living and extinct mammals! Cynognathus was an early relative of mammals. It lived about 235-250 million years ago. Cat-sized Repenomamus was the largest known mammal from the Mesozoic “Age of Dinosaurs.”

What is Mesosaurus in earth science?

Mesosaurus (meaning “middle lizard”) is an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America. Along with it, the genera Brazilosaurus and Stereosternum, it is a member of the family Mesosauridae and the order Mesosauria.

Why are Mesosaurus fossils found in Africa and South America?

The fossils of this prehistoric reptile have been discovered in eastern South America and southern Africa, and since Mesosaurus lived in freshwater lakes and rivers, it clearly couldn’t have swum across the expanse of the southern Atlantic Ocean.

What about the Mesosaurus helps prove that Pangaea existed?

Mesosaurus fossils support Pangaea because the reptile was a freshwater and land reptile and fossils of the creature were found in South America and Africa so it couldn’t cross the by water. The fossils were found in Africa, Australia, India, South America, and Antarctica.

What environment did Cynognathus live in?

Cynognathus evolved in the early Triassic Period (which began 251 million years ago). The animals lived across much of the southern hemisphere landmass known as Gondwana, the southern half of the supercontinent called Pangaea.