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Post by Infinity Blade on Dec 28, 2015 17:02:05 GMT 5
I don't think I've ever really heard of precise and reliable weight estimates for Basilosaurus. I remember a comment on Carnivora saying McHenry (2009) estimated Basilosaurus at ~10-20t, but that's just about it and I don't know the exact source of this supposed estimate. Can anyone lend a hand here?
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Post by theropod on Dec 28, 2015 18:38:42 GMT 5
It’s on page 437 of his dissertation "One of the earliest large carnivorous
whales was the Eocene archaeocete Basilosaurus, which reached 20 m total length but,
because of a relatively elongate body plan may not have exceeded (or even achieved)
10 tonnes."
McHenry, Colin R. (2009): 'Devourer of Gods'. The palaeoecology of the Cretaceous pliosaur Kronosaurus queenslandicus. Newcastle.
But this is most likely a guess, I’m not even sure how reliable that presumed elongate body plan is, or whether it may be subject to revisions (with derived mosasaurs recently shown to have more fusiform, ichthyosaur-like bodies than previously thought).
The foremost necessities are an up-to date, accurate reconstruction of its skeleton and precise length estimates.
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Post by Grey on Dec 28, 2015 22:02:18 GMT 5
I had discussed with a guy on deviant who made an update reconstruction. Based on his novel he estimated around 20 tonnes.
The 10-20 tonnes range seems very realistic.
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