A new study on Mesozoic marine reptiles thermoregulation

[Protopatch]

The results of this interesting paper tend to confirm that Ichthyosauria were homeothermic endotherms, while Plesiosauria were likely poikilothermic endotherms, and the new body temperature estimates of the Metriorhynchidae closely follow ambient temperatures, pointing to poikilothermic strategy with no or little endothermic ability (in open access) :

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/paleobiology/article/reassessment-of-body-temperature-and-thermoregulation-strategies-in-mesozoic-marine-reptiles/5DB88592AC69236250A516904E20FEC4#

[Halichoeres]

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

[Protopatch]

Actually, I'm trying to understand why the authors arbitrarily constrained their study on specimens from the mid-Jurassic to the lower Cretaceous, excluding Mosasauria ?
Meanwhile, their conclusion regarding Plesiosauria thermoregulation strategy might well be one plausible explanation to their wide temporal distribution within the Mesozoic era.

[DinoToyForum]

Actually, I'm trying to understand why the authors arbitrarily constrained their study on specimens from the mid-Jurassic to the lower Cretaceous, excluding Mosasauria ?

I think it's just because the team is a Norwegian-French collaboration so they focussed on material they have easy access to, namely, French Jurassic material and Svalbard Jurassic/Early Cretaceous material. Hence, mosasaurs being excluded.