Pliosaurus
genus of reptiles (fossil)
Pliosaurus was an extinct genus of gigantic plesiosaur from the late Jurassic of Europe and South America. Their diet included fish, cephalopods, and marine reptiles.
Pliosaurus Temporal range: Late Jurassic,
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P. kevani holotype skull | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
Order: | †Plesiosauria |
Family: | †Pliosauridae |
Clade: | †Thalassophonea |
Genus: | †Pliosaurus Owen, 1842 |
Type species | |
†Pliosaurus brachydeirus Owen, 1842
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Species[1][2] | |
Species pending reassessment
Species pending ICZN petition
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Synonyms | |
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Most European species of Pliosaurus grew to about 8 metres (26 ft) long and weighed about 5 metric tons (5.5 short tons). Some would have been the largest plesiosaurs of all time, more than 10 metres (33 ft) in length. Their teeth were triangular in cross section.
References
change- ↑ Benson, R.B.J.; Evans, M.; Smith, A.S.; Sassoon, J.; Moore-Faye, S.; Ketchum, H.F.; Forrest, R. (2013). Butler, Richard J (ed.). "A giant Pliosaurid skull from the Late Jurassic of England". PLOS ONE. 8 (5): e65989. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...865989B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065989. PMC 3669260. PMID 23741520.
- ↑ Espen M. Knutsen (2012). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Pliosaurus (Owen, 1841a) Owen, 1841b". Norwegian Journal of Geology. 92 (2–3): 259–276. ISSN 0029-196X. Low resolution pdf Archived 2013-12-24 at the Wayback Machine High resolution pdf Archived 2013-12-24 at the Wayback Machine