Reply to comment

Of course the Atlantic Oceans were warmer during the Cretaceous period. The Atlantic was new and narrower. The water was shallow and the mid-Atlantic ridge probably contributed greatly to the heated water. Think as the Yellow Stone parks steam vents flowing into the pools. Over the millennia the pool lengthened into the Atlantic Ocean, heating it as it spread. How else can the waters sustain the large bodies of these reptiles. They needed sustained warmth to metabolize their bodies. I'm sure someone can calculate what the external heat would be necessary for those early reptiles to thrive and digest their foods while staying in their aquatic environment 24/7. (of course the moon was much closer orbiting at a faster rate, changing the tides and weather - and the Earth was rotating faster accounting for shorter days) Can you imagine a underwater volcanic vent stretching thousands of miles pumping out super heated mineral rich nutrients in shallow water for hundreds of millions of years.