Kronosaurus

Taxobox
name = "Kronosaurus"
fossil_range = Early Cretaceous

---

image_caption="Kronosaurus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo = Plesiosauria
familia = Pliosauridae
genus = "Kronosaurus"
genus_authority = Longman, 1924Longman HA. 1924. A new gigantic marine reptile from the Queensland Cretaceous, "Kronosaurus queenslandicus" new genus and species. "Memoirs of the Queensland Museum" 8: 26–28.]
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
*"K. queenslandicus" (type) Longman, 1924
*"K. boyacensis" Hampe, 1992Hampe O. 1992. Ein grosswuechsiger pliosauride (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) aus der Unterkreide (oberes Aptium) von Kolumbien. "Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg" 145: 1-32.]

"Kronosaurus" (pronounced Kroe-noe-sore-uss) ("lizard of Kronos") is an extinct genus of short-necked pliosaur. It was among the largest pliosaurs, and is appropriately named after the leader of the Greek Titans, Kronos.

Discovery and species

"Kronosaurus" lived in the Early Cretaceous Period (Aptian-Albian).Kear BP. 2003. Cretaceous marine reptiles of Australia: a review of taxonomy and distribution. "Cretaceous Research" 24: 277–303.]

The holotype specimen of the species "K. queenslandicus" was described by Longman in 1924, and is currently in the Queensland Museum. Hampe described a second species, "K. boyacensis", in 1992 from Colombia.

Palaeobiology

ize issues

Body-length estimates had previously put the total length of "Kronosaurus" at 12.8 meters (43 feet).Romer AS, Lewis AD. 1959. A mounted skeleton of the giant plesiosaur "Kronosaurus". "Breviora" 112: 1-15.] However, recent study comparing fossil specimens of "Kronosaurus" to other pliosaurs suggest that the previous estimate was an exaggeration, with true length probably only 9–10 meters (30–33 feet).

Teeth

The teeth of "Kronosaurus" are large in length (exceeding 7 cm). However, they lack carinae (cutting edges) and the distinct trihedral (three facets) of "Pliosaurus" and "Liopleurodon" teeth. The combination of large size, conical shape and lack of cutting edges allows for easy identification of "Kronosaurus" teeth in Cretaceous deposits from Australia.Massare JA. 1997. Introduction - faunas, behaviour and evolution. In: Callaway JM, Nicholls EL. (Eds.), "Ancient Marine Reptiles". Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 401-421.]

Diet

Large, round bite-marks have been found on the skull of an Albian-age Australian elasmosaurid ("Tuarangisaurus") that could be from a "Kronosaurus" attack.Sachs S. 2005. "Tuarangisaurus australis" sp. nov. (Plesiosauria: Elasmosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of northeastern Queensland, with additional notes on the phylogeny of the Elasmosauridae. "Memoirs of the Queensland Museum". 50 (2): 425-440.]

Popular Culture

"Kronosaurus" is featured in the Steve Alten novel, "The Trench", although he took great creative liberties presenting them as living thousands of feet below sea level and having gills. It was also included in the novel "Raptor Red" by Robert T. Bakker and In the Time of the Dinosaurs by K. A. Applegate.

A "Kronosaurus" model was introduced into the Carnegie Collection in 1997.

"Kronosaurus" also appears as one of the opponents in the PS2 game Dino Stalker.

References

External links

* [http://www.plesiosauria.com/kronosaurus.html Genus "Kronosaurus"] . The Plesiosaur Directory.