 In the case of "Cartorhynchus", Motani and colleagues proposed that the large, flipper-like forelimbs would have enabled it to move on land, thus making it amphibious.The extensive cartilage at the wrist joint would have allowed the flipper to bend without an elbow; juvenile sea turtles have similarly cartilaginous flippers that they use to move on land.Although its flipper would not have been particularly strong, "Cartorhynchus" was relatively lightweight, with a body mass to flipper surface area ratio smaller than that of "Chaohusaurus".