Why are Mesosaurus fossils found in Africa and South America?
Fossils of Mesosaurus are found in both South America and Africa because the continents were once connected as a single landmass millions of years ago and have moved great distances to their current location.
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Why are Mesosaurus fossils found so far apart?
How did the Mesosaurus fossils on the South American Plate and African Plate get so far apart? 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. The Mesosaurus fossils moved apart gradually over tens of millions of years.
When was the Mesosaurus found?
Mesosaurus is an extinct reptile which lived approximately 300 million years ago during the Early Permian Period. It was first discovered during the mid-19th century and was named by Francois-Louis Paul Gervais in 1864. The name of this reptile means “middle lizard” in Greek.
What type of habitat did Mesosaurus live in?
Mesosaurus was long thought to have been one of the first marine reptiles, although new data suggests that at least those of Uruguay inhabited a hypersaline water body, rather than a typical marine environment. In any case, it had many adaptations to a fully aquatic lifestyle.
What kind of fossils were found in South America and Africa?
far-flung fossils Fossils of a shallow water reptile, Mesosaurus, were found in both Africa and South America even though they could not swim across the Atlantic Ocean. Fossils of a family of seed ferns, Glossopteris, were found in Africa, South America, India, and Antarctica.
Why are Mesosaurus fossils found in South America and Africa continents that are now thousands of kilometers and an ocean apart?
This means that these plates, and the continents on top of these plates, are moving away from each other. This divergent plate motion explains why the fossil remains of Mesosaurus that were once together are now found on continents thousands of kilometers apart.
When did Mesosaurus go extinct?
about 260 million years ago
The earliest fossil evidence for these animals indicates that they were alive about 300 million years ago, and their species went extinct about 260 million years ago. Mesosaurus were among the first reptiles to live in and around water, and they spent most of their lives in the water.
What environment did Mesosaurus live in?
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.
Why are Mesosaurus fossils found on continents that are now thousands of kilometers and an ocean apart?
Why do fossils in South America match fossils in Africa?
By 160 million years ago, continents had begun to drift to their present locations. Today’s coastlines of South America and Africa are a match because these two continents were once joined together. Evidence supported the hypothesis. Similar fossils were found on both sides of the Atlantic.
What kind of environment did the Mesosaurus live in?
What are the only 2 locations where fossils of Mesosaurus are found and why does this not make sense unless the continents drifted apart?
South America and Africa were once part of Pangaea before it was separated into the continents. Does the case of Mesosaurus support Wegener’s theory of continental drift? Yes, because fossils were found in only two regions that are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean.
Which of the following is an example of fossils found in South America and Africa?
For example, fossils of ancient reptiles called Cynognathus and Mesosaurus have been found on South America and Africa.
How did the Mesosaurus fossils on the South American plate and African plate get so far apart?
Chapter 3: How did the Mesosaurus fossils on the South American Plate and African Plate get so far apart? 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.
Why have scientists found fossils of the Mesosaurus on the two continents of South America and Africa which are separated by the Atlantic Ocean?
It would have been physiologically impossible for Mesosaurus to swim between the continents. This suggests that South America and Africa were joined during the Early Permian. Cynognathus is an extinct mammal-like reptile.
When did the Mesosaurus go extinct?
Why is it unlikely that Mesosaurus traveled between the continents?
Why is it unlikely that Mesosaurus traveled between the continents? It could NOT have swum across the ocean. Why is it unlikely that glaciers existed in South America and Africa recently? Today, South America and Africa are too HOT for glaciers to form.
What does the presence of Mesosaurus?
The presence of mesosaurus suggests a single habitat with many lakes and rivers. Wegener also studied plant fossils from the frigid Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Norway. These plants were not the hardy specimens adapted to survive in the Arctic climate.
Which two continents contain fossils of Mesosaurus an extinct reptile in similar regions of Pangaea?
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. It would have been physiologically impossible for Mesosaurus to swim between the continents.
Why the fossils of Mesosaurus that once lived together are found in different locations on Earth now?