Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 9 October 2019 doi:10.20944/preprints201910.0094.v1 How Plesiosaurs Swam: New Insights into Their Underwater Flight Using “Ava”, a Virtual Pliosaur Max Hawthorne1,*, Mark A. S. McMenamin 2, Paul de la Salle3 1Far From The Tree Press, LLC, 4657 York Rd., #952, Buckingham, PA, 18912, United States 2Department of Geology and Geography, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States 3Swindon, England *Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: 267-337-7545 Abstract Analysis of plesiosaur swim dynamics by means Further study attempted to justify the use of all four flippers of a digital 3D armature (wireframe “skeleton”) of a simultaneously via the use of paddle-generated vortices, pliosauromorph (“Ava”) demonstrates that: 1, plesiosaurs which require specific timing to achieve optimal additional used all four flippers for primary propulsion; 2, plesiosaurs thrust. These attempts have largely relied on anatomical utilized all four flippers simultaneously; 3, respective pairs studies of strata-compressed plesiosaur skeletons, and/or of flippers of Plesiosauridae, front and rear, traveled through preconceived notions as pertains to the paddles’ inherent distinctive, separate planes of motion, and; 4, the ability to ranges of motion [8, 10-12]. What has not been considered utilize all four paddles simultaneously allowed these largely are the opposing angles of the pectoral and pelvic girdles, predatory marine reptiles to achieve a significant increase in which strongly indicate varied-yet-complementing relations acceleration and speed, which, in turn, contributed to their between the front and rear sets of paddles, both in repose and sustained dominance during the Mesozoic.