Okay... Good article, but I thought that the scientific community already knew that Icthyosaurs were not feeding exclusively on Belemites? The bird in the stomach is a nice touch though! Hee hee
Here's what really bakes my noodle though: The icthyosaur "fish" body plan still lives on today in dolphins and whales. The plesiosaur design with the four powerful fins, shape, and maneuverability has more or less vanished from the scene (or been seriously reduced in size in the cases of seals, sea-lions, and turtles).
Maybe I'm stating the obvious here, but the dominance of certain designs seems to occur with multiple selective factors. Theoretically, some giant plesiosaur-like mammal should have evolved along the same lines... unless the pressures selected against it.
The selective pressures for the elimination of icthyosaurs were probably due to several factors, as is usually the case. Plesiosaurs were done in in a simiar fashion. Sad, really... Heck, I wish I could see what fossil molluscs really looked like.
Well, that's my two cents' worth .... Sushi and Sake
John
