Pteroplax

‭T‬eh-roe-plaks.
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

Pteroplax ‭(‬finned tablet‭)‬.

Phonetic

‭T‬eh-roe-plaks.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptiliomorpha,‭ ‬Anthracosauria,‭ ‬Embolomeri,‭ ‬Eogyrinidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

P.‭ ‬cornutus‭

Size

Skull about‭ ‬20‭ ‬centimetres long,‭ ‬total body length about‭ ‬2‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

England.

Time Period

Westphalian of the Carboniferous.

Fossil representation

Several individuals.

In Depth

       Pteroplax was an eogyrinid reptiliomorph that lived in England during the Carboniferous period.‭ ‬Like relative genera,‭ ‬Pteroplax had an elongated narrow body with reduced limbs.‭ ‬This kind of body enabled Pteroplax to squeeze in‭ ‬between tight spaces and obstacles to hunt down prey such as fish and small amphibians.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Notes on the remains of some reptiles and fishes from the shales of the Northumberland coal field:‭ ‬Annals and Magazine of Natural History,‭ ‬4th series,‭ ‬n.‭ ‬1,‭ ‬p.‭ ‬266-278,‭ ‬346-378.‭ ‬-‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Hancock‭ & ‬T.‭ ‬Atthby‭ ‬-‭ ‬1868. -‭ ‬The axial skeleton of the Carboniferous amphibian,‭ ‬Pteroplax cornutus.‭ ‬Palaeontology,‭ ‬23‭ (‬2‭)‬,‭ ‬273-285.‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Boyd‭ ‬-‭ ‬1980a. – The axial skeleton of the Carboniferous amphibian Pteroplax cornutus. – Palaeontology. 23 (Part2): 273–285. – Michael J. Boyd – 1980.

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