Table of Contents
What is the distribution of Mesosaurus?
These fossils were found in only two regions, southern Africa and the southern part of South America. The shaded areas on the map show where fossils of Mesosaurus have been discovered. This distribution is a curious one—only two regions far from each other and separated by the Atlantic Ocean.
Where is the distribution of Mesosaurus fossils?
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.
Why are Mesosaurus fossils found on continents?
The Mesosaurus fossils tell us that South America, Africa and Antarctica were once connected because it is impossible for these reptiles to swim over the vast oceans and move from one continent to another.
How does continental drift explain the pattern of Mesosaurus fossils?
The continents were once a single landmass that drifted apart. How does continental drift explain the pattern of Mesosaurus fossils? South American and Africa were once part of the same continent. How did the discovery of sea-floor ridges affect the ability of the scientific community to accept Alfred Wegener’s ideas?
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.
What is the meaning of Mesosaurus?
middle lizard
Mesosaurus (meaning “middle lizard”) is an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America.
What is distribution of fossils?
suggests that these modeled features are present in the fossil record. Many previously studied. paleobiologic patterns may be, at least in part, an artifact of facies control and sequence architecture. Such patterns include gradual or stepwise mass extinction, punctuated morphologic and taxonomic.
What happened to the Mesosaurus fossils?
Students figure out: The Mesosaurus fossils moved apart gradually over tens of millions of years. Earth’s plates travel at a rate too slow to be experienced by humans. It takes a long time for Earth’s plates to travel great distances.
What is a Mesosaurus fossil?
Mesosaurus, (genus Mesosaurus), early aquatic relative of reptiles, found as fossils from the Early Permian Period (299 million to 271 million years ago) in South Africa and South America.
What was the land like where Mesosaurus were found?
Mesosaurus lived in freshwater lakes and ponds. Elongated and slim, it measured about 1 metre (3.3 feet) long. The skull and tail were both long and narrow, and the animal probably undulated through the water as it fed on small crustaceans and other prey with its jaws, which were full of long, thin, pointed teeth.
How do Mesosaurus fossils support the past existence of Pangaea?
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. For example, fossils of warm weather plants were found in Spitsbergen in the arctic ocean.
Why are Mesosaurus fossils found in South America and Africa?
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.