Xinpusaurus
Name:
Xinpusaurus
(Xinpu lizard).
Phonetic: Zin-pu-sore-us.
Named By: G. Z. Yin, X. G. Zhou, Z.
T. Cao, Y. Y. Yu & Y. M. Luo - 2000.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Thalattosauria,Thalattosauroidea.
Species: X. suni (type), X.
bamaolinensis? X. kohi? X. xingyiensis.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Varies depending upon species. X.
suni
betweem 0.8 - 1 meter long, X. bamaolinensis
between 1.4
- 1.5 meters long.
Known locations: China, Guizhou Province -
Falang formation, Xiaowa Formation.
Time period: Carnian of the Triassic.
Fossil representation: Remains of a few individuals.
Xinpusaurus
is one of the better known thalattosaurs,
and like others it had a
laterally compressed tail that was suited to providing underwater
locomotion as it hunted for prey like fish. Thalattosaurs still
possessed four limbs though, not only betraying their terrestrial
ancestry, but also indicating that they probably returned to the
shore when they were done hunting.
The
upper jaw of Xinpusaurus protruded well beyond the
extent of the
lower. In X. suni the tip was fairly blunt,
but in X.
bamaolinensis it was much longer and pointed. This could
have been a
hunting feature for lashing against the bodies of fish in a furious
manner, stunning and injuring the fish so that they are unable to get
away. This behaviour would be analogous to how a swordfish hunts
today, and the arrangement of the much longer upper jaw is also seen
in some ichthyosaurs
such as Excalibosaurus
and Eurhinosaurus.
This
might be more true for X. bamaolinensis which
also had pointed teeth
that were better able for holding onto prey like fish, while the
teeth of X. suni are blunter and slightly more
robust, possibly
indicating a different prey specialisation.
A
2013 study of Xinpusaurus by Liu however has
proposed that all three
species are actually synonymous with each other, and if true that
would mean that only the type species, X. suni,
is valid. Also
in 2013, the description of a new and large thalattosaur genus
called Concavispina
found that to be the current closest known relative
of Xinpusaurus.
Further reading
- A preliminary study on the early Late Triassic marine reptiles from
Gunanling, Guizhou, China., G. Z. Yin, X. G. Zhou,
Z. T. Cao, Y. Y. Yu & Y. M. Luo - 2000.
- Postcranial skeleton of Xinpusaurus, J.
Liu - 2001.
- A new species of Triassic Thalattosauria from Guanling, Guizhou,
L. Cheng - 2003.
- A new species of Xinpusaurus
(Thalattosauria) from the Upper
Triassic of China, D. A. Jiang, M. W. Maisch, S. L.
Sun, A. T. Matzke & W. C. Hao - 2004.
- On Xinpusaurus (Reptilia:
Thalattosauria), O. Rieppel
& J. Liu - 2006.
- On the taxonomy of Xinpusaurus (Reptilia:
Thalattosauria),
J. Liu - 2013.
- A new species of Xinpusaurus (Reptilia,
Thalattosauria) from the
Ladinian (Middle Triassic) of Xingyi, Guizhou, southwestern China. -
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (6). - Z-G. Li, D-Y Jiang, O.
Rieppel, R. Motani, A. Tintori, Z-Y Sun & C. Ji - 2016.
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