Pluridens

Name: Pluridens ‭(‬Many teeth‭)‬.
Phonetic: Plur-e-dens.
Named By: T.‭ ‬Lingham-Soliar‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Squamata,‭ ‬Mosasauroidea,‭ ‬Mosasauridae,‭ ‬Halisaurinae.
Species: P.‭ ‬walkeri‭ (‬type‭)‬,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬calabaria.
Diet: Piscivore/Carnivore.
Size: Uncertain due to lack of remains,‭ ‬but roughly about‭ ‬5‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Niger‭ ‬-‭ ‬Farin-Doutchi Formation.‭ ‬Nigeria‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nkporo Shale Formation.
Time period: Campanian to Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Dentaries‭ (‬jaws‭)‬.




       At the time of writing Pluridens is only known from lower jaws,‭ ‬but these show that this mosasaur was a highly specialised hunter.‭ ‬The lower jaw of‭ ‬Pluridens had at least twenty-eight tightly packed teeth,‭ ‬more than in other known mosasaurs,‭ ‬and hence the inspiration for the name Pluridens which means‭ ‘‬many teeth‭’‬.‭ ‬The lower jaw is also elongated with a slender build,‭ ‬something that would have greatly reduced water resistance when moving through the water.‭ ‬This jaw is not something that‭ ‬is‭ ‬designed for crushing through shell and bone,‭ ‬but instead Pluridens probably utilised a quick snapping action to catch prey such as fish and squid,‭ ‬or thinly shelled invertebrates.
       Pluridens has often been written as a synonym to Halisaurus,‭ ‬something referenced to a‭ ‬2005‭ ‬study by Lindgren‭ & ‬Siverson.‭ ‬Since this time however most other authors have continued to classify Pluridens as distinct from Halisaurus.‭ ‬It is still recognised that isolated mosasaur vertebrae similar to those seen in Halisaurus are known from the same approximate locations as the Pluridens type fossils,‭ ‬and with this in mind,‭ ‬most researchers continue to regard Pluridens as a halisaurine mosasaur,‭ ‬similar to Halisaurus in build,‭ ‬but still a distinct genus.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A new mosasaur Pluridens walkeri from the Upper Cretaceous,‭ ‬Maastrichtian of the Iullemmeden Basin,‭ ‬southwest Niger.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬18‭(‬4‭)‬:709-707.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Lingham-Soliar‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998.
-‭ ‬Halisaurus sternbergii,‭ ‬a small mosasaur with an intercontinental distribution.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Paleontology‭ ‬79‭ (‬4‭)‬:‭ ‬763‭–‬773.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Lindgren‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬Siverson‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.
-‭ ‬A new species of Pluridens‭ (‬Mosasauridae:‭ ‬Halisaurinae‭) ‬from the upper Campanian of Southern Nigeria.‭ ‬Cretaceous Research‭ ‬64:36-44.‭ ‬-‭ ‬N.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Longrich‭ ‬-‭ ‬2016.



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