Apatomerus

A-pat-oh-meh-rus.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Apatomerus ‭(‬Deceptive femur‭)‬.

Phonetic

A-pat-oh-meh-rus.

Named By

Samuel Wendell Williston‭ ‬-‭ ‬1903.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria‭?

Diet

Piscivore/Carnivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬mirus

Size

Uncertain.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Kansas‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kiowa Shale.

Time Period

Albian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Single bone.

In Depth

       When it comes to naming prehistoric animals,‭ ‬the names can be confusing,‭ ‬but Apatomerus,‭ ‬which means‭ ‘‬deceptive femur‭’ ‬was spot on.‭ ‬Initially thought to a thigh of a crocodile,‭ ‬Williston later declared it to be a pterosaur bone.‭ ‬Later study has now deduced that it is probably not a pterosaur bone and is possibly from a plesiosaur.

Further Reading

– On the osteology of Nyctosaurus (Nyctodactylus), with notes on American pterosaurs. – Field Columbian Museum Publications, Geological Series 2:125-163. – S. W. Williston – 1903.

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