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Lystrosaurus probably couldn’t swim very far. How might the locations of lystrosaurus fossils be seen as evidence that the continents were once together?.

User Darrrrrren
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2 Answers

20 votes
20 votes

Final answer:

The widespread locations of Lystrosaurus fossils on different continents provide evidence supporting the theory of continental drift, as such poor swimmers could not have traversed oceans to disperse widely.

Step-by-step explanation:

The locations of Lystrosaurus fossils provide evidence that the continents were once joined together. This early Mesozoic land-dwelling reptile, which reproduced by laying eggs on land, had anatomical features suggesting it was a very poor swimmer. Therefore, finding such fossils spread across different continents, which are separated by vast oceans, supports the theory of continental drift. The idea of continental drift was proposed by Alfred Wegener, who in 1915 introduced the concept of Pangaea, a supercontinent that once combined all modern-day land masses. Wegener used both the shape of the continents and the distribution of fossils, like those of Lystrosaurus, as evidence. As such, the presence of Lystrosaurus fossils in disparate locations is consistent with the continents once being connected, allowing for the distribution of these terrestrial reptiles across a single, vast landmass before the continents drifted apart.

User Wavyx
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3.0k points
11 votes
11 votes

Answer:

Lystrosaurus was found on multiple continents and couldn't swim. So, it is likely that instead if the dinosaur swimming to other continents the continents instead split.

User Stephen Cagle
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