Did plesiosaurs have a tail fin?

[DinoToyForum]

Here's a pdf of my paper, hot off the press, looking into this question: http://www.plesiosauria.com/pdf/smith_2013_plesiosaur_tail_fin.pdf

[Balaur]

I haven't read it all, just bits, but I plan to soon. Am I allowed to ask how long it took to finish this?

[DinoToyForum]

I haven't read it all, just bits, but I plan to soon. Am I allowed to ask how long it took to finish this?

Sure, this has been in the pipeline since 2007, when I outlined my preliminary findings on Rhomaleosaurus in my PhD thesis. In 2008 I  conducted a more thorough analysis, and presented those findings at svpca, and that was the basis for this paper. It went through several drafts, and was rejected from several journals prior to publication, hence the delay, but that is pretty normal (if rather frustrating). In retrospect, I think the article is better for it.

[Balaur]

Wow! I didn't realize it was that much of a pain to get it published!

[Everything_Dinosaur]

Interesting paper, would you mind if we summarised it in our blog one of these days?

[DinoToyForum]

Interesting paper, would you mind if we summarised it in our blog one of these days?

I wouldn't mind at all, I'd appreciate the publicity, in fact