Ichthyosaurs had blubber and were likely warm-blooded

[suspsy]

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46457674?SThisFB

Fascinating! I wonder what this means for plesiosaurs and mosasaurs?

[ITdactyl]

It's easier (for me) to imagine a 'fat' blubbery icthyosaur (since they are sometimes portrayed that way in paleoart) versus a chunkier elasmosaurus or styxosaurus.

I will echo your sentiment though - did mosasaurs, like their lizard brethren, still store fat in their tails or did they evolve full body blubber like whales...

[Joey]

Wasn't there already a study before this, that confirmed blubber or "fat" on Pliosaurs? Either way, I love reconsructions of fatty Pliosaurs and Ichthyosaurs however plesiosaurs get a little harder to imagine.
Reconstructions like this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=fat+pliosaurs&client=ms-android-verizon&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZucuO8onfAhXDz1QKHeMOCkEQ_AUoAXoECAwQAQ&biw=360&bih=560#imgrc=Ho83KaKM4jNoGM

[Faelrin]

I have wondered at times if that was the case for the Mesozoic marine reptiles. Glad to see it confirmed to some extant. I can only wonder if this also applies to the very large creatures like Mosasaurus and Kronosaurus, since those were basically whale sized or close to whale sized.

[Neosodon]

This seems extra significant. Marine reptiles using blubber for insulation. The characteristics of reptiles seems to be getting looser. I hope they make a similar find for dinosaurs living in arctic climates. Since hadrosaurs  and ceratopsians didn't have feathers, fat seems like the only means of insulation for the arctic populations.

[stargatedalek]

I have wondered at times if that was the case for the Mesozoic marine reptiles. Glad to see it confirmed to some extant. I can only wonder if this also applies to the very large creatures like Mosasaurus and Kronosaurus, since those were basically whale sized or close to whale sized.

If I'm recalling right Mosasaurs are generally known from shallower areas, especially the American interior sea, which were likely quite warm, where Ichthyosaurs are found with broader distribution and some had potential adaptations for deep ocean diving, so it's hard to infer anything from Ichthyosaurs unfortunately.

This seems extra significant. Marine reptiles using blubber for insulation. The characteristics of reptiles seems to be getting looser. I hope they make a similar find for dinosaurs living in arctic climates. Since hadrosaurs  and ceratopsians didn't have feathers, fat seems like the only means of insulation for the arctic populations.

It likely wasn't cold enough for them to require it. Water is always colder than air.

[Halichoeres]

More on this: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/whales-and-dolphins-prehistoric-fish-lizards-kept-warm-blubber-180970958/

[Faelrin]

@stargatedalek Thanks for that bit of info. It does make sense that if they were in warm waters they would likely not need it compared to those in cold waters. Too bad there is not much to go on, or that we could really compare in terms of living animals (at least none that I'm aware of. All of the marine reptiles I'm aware of are still ectothermic, and live in warm waters. I'm not aware of any marine mammals without blubber, but the ones I can think of are generally in colder waters except maybe dolphins).

[Doug Watson]

What I love about this article and when I say that I am being sarcastic is the revelation that in the case of Stenopterygius at least this specimen exhibited counter shading. Not too long ago we had a paper that declared ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs were all black so then the Dino Toy community declared all counter shaded models incorrect now we have a study that says one species was counter shaded so get ready for the declarations that any all black marine reptile is a total blunder. Time to realize these are small sample sizes and there is a good chance just like today there was a lot of diversity in colouration.