In Depth Palmulasaurus was initially named as Palmula when first described in 2007, but it was soon realised that Palmula was actually preoccupied by a genus of foraminifer (an amoeboid protist), hence the later addition of the Ancient Greek ‘saurus’ which means ‘lizard’. In 2007 Albright, Gillette and Titus also named of polycotylid plesiosaur from … Read more
Mauisaurus: Research Database Theropoda · Cretaceous · Unknown Research Note: Mauisaurus was a theropoda from the Cretaceous of Unknown, providing important data on prehistoric life and ecosystem dynamics. Research Finding Status Grade Year Method Citation Impact Hiller O’Gorman Otero 2017: Mauisaurus and related taxa New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics Confirmed B … Read more
Thalassomedon: Research Database Plesiosauria (Sauropterygia) · Late Cretaceous (~95–90 MYA) · North America — USA, Colorado (Mancos Shale) Research Note: Thalassomedon was a large plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America, notable for its extremely long neck — comprising over half its total body length. As one of the best-known … Read more
Fresnosaurus: Research Database Mesozoic · Fossil Record Research Note: Fresnosaurus was a significant fossil species providing important data on vertebrate evolution. Research Finding Status Grade Year Method Citation Impact Bastiaans & Kroll 2020: Fresnosaurus and mosasaur diversity in the Cretaceous Cretaceous Research Confirmed A 2020 Fossil Bastiaans & Kroll, Cretaceous Research Diversity O’Gorman … Read more
Albertonectes: Research Database Plesiosauria (Sauropterygia) · Late Cretaceous (~70 MYA) · North America — Canada (Alberta) Research Note: Albertonectes was a long-necked plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada — known for its extraordinarily long neck and an important taxon for understanding plesiosaur evolution. Research Finding Status Grade Year Method Citation Impact … Read more
In Depth Described from a single partially preserved skull, Alexandronectes was an elasmosaurid plesiosaur that swam in the waters around what is now New Zealand during the late Cretaceous. These were dangerous waters as fossils of large mosasaurs such as Taniwhasaurus are also known from the same formation as Alexandronectes, and these predators were certainly … Read more
In Depth The original 2012 paper of the plesiosaur Spitrasaurus included the description of not one but two species for the genus. The type species, S. wensaasi (PMO 219 718) is described from sixty articulated cervical vertebrae believed to have come from a juvenile individual. S. larseni (SVB 1450) is also known from cervical vertebrae, … Read more
In Depth Edgarosaurus seems to have been one of the first polycoylid plesiosaurs to swim in the late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, a shallow sea that submerged much of central North American during the Cretaceous. Like its relatives, Edgarosaurus had a typical plesiosaur body but a short neck an elongated jaws, features reminiscent of the … Read more
In Depth The type specimen of Megacephalosaurus was originally assigned to the Brachauchenius genus, leading to the idea that Brachauchenius was one of the biggest of its time. The removal of this skull has led to a size revision of Brachauchenius, and the establishment of a new genus, Megacephalosaurus. However this still means that there … Read more
Avalonnectes: Research Database Plesiosauria (Sauropterygia) · Early Jurassic (~195-190 MYA) · Europe — England (Blue Lias Formation) Research Note: Avalonnectes was a plesiosaur from the Early Jurassic of England — a near-plesiosauroid and an important taxon for understanding early plesiosaur evolution. Research Finding Status Grade Year Method Citation Impact Vincent & Bardet 2007: … Read more