Re: Ancient tetrapod predator

On 2024-07-04 14:18:43 +0000, John Harshman said:

On 7/3/24 6:29 PM, RonO wrote:

On 7/3/2024 5:56 PM, John Harshman wrote:

On 7/3/24 3:04 PM, RonO wrote:

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/fossils-show-huge-salamanderlike-predator-sharp-fangs-existed-111645297   The giant salamander with fangs may have lived 280 million years ago, and they claim that Namibia was in a much colder region of the world at that time (they claim glacial region).
 Click on the link in the fourth paragraph and you can get a copy of the Nature article to read, otherwise the article is pay walled.
 Ron Okimoto
 

What do you mean by "they claim"? Are you trying to cast doubt on the Permian glaciation? There's plenty of evidence for it.
 

 Why would you think that I was casting doubt on their claims.

 That's more or less what "they claim" connotes. Perhaps you misspoke?

Your understanding of "claim" is identical to mine, but this isn't the first time I've seen it used without any critical intent.

 

The paper indicates that if the region of Pangea that is now Namibia was as cold as they think, then amphibians had adapted to colder climates after diversification during the Caboniferous.

 "As cold as they think" is hardly a matter of "if". That part of Gondwana was near the south pole at the time, and there's all sorts of evidence of a protracted series of ice ages. There were of course interglacials, but there would still have been very long, cold winters. Think Alaska.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Paleozoic_icehouse

--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly in England until 1987.