Conflicting evidence for the use of caudal autotomy in mesosaurs

The early Permian mesosaurs were the first amniotes to re-invade aquatic environments. One of their most controversial and puzzling features is their distinctive caudal anatomy, which has been suggested as a mechanism to facilitate caudal autotomy. Several researchers have described putative fracture planes in mesosaur caudal vertebrae — unossified regions in the middle of caudal vertebral centra — that in many extant squamates allow the tail to...