Pliosaur

Taxobox
name = Pliosaurs

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image_caption = "Peloneustes philarchus"
fossil_range = Late Triassic - Late Cretaceous
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo = Sauropterygia
ordo = Plesiosauria
subordo = Pliosauroidea
subordo_authority = Welles, 1943
subdivision_ranks = Families and genera
subdivision = see textThe Pliosaurs ("more lizards") were marine reptiles from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. They originally included members of the family Pliosauridae, of the Order Plesiosauria, but several other genera and families are now also included; the number and details of which vary according to the classification used. The name is derived from Greek: "πλειω" from the verb 'to sail' or "πλειων" meaning 'fin' and "σαυρος" meaning 'lizard'. The pliosaurs, along with their relatives, the true plesiosaurs, and other members of Sauropterygia, were not dinosaurs.

The group was characterised by having a short neck and an elongated head, in contrast to the long-necked plesiosaurs. They were carnivorous and their long and powerful jaws carried many sharp, conical teeth. Pliosaurs range from 4 to 15 meters in length. [ [http://www.zoomdinosaurs.com/subjects/dinosaurs/glossary/indexp3.shtml#Pliosaur zoom dinosaurs] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7264856.stm Sea reptile is biggest on record] . BBC News, February 27, 2008.] Their prey may have included fish, ichthyosaurs and other plesiosaurs.

Typical genera include "Macroplata", "Kronosaurus", "Liopleurodon", "Pliosaurus" and "Peloneustes". Fossil specimens have been found in England, Mexico, South America, Australia and the Arctic region near Norway.

Many very early (from the Rhaetian (Latest Triassic) and Early Jurassic) primitive pliosaurs were very like plesiosaurs in appearance and indeed used to be included in the family Plesiosauridae.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy presented here is mainly based on the plesiosaur cladistic analysis proposed by O'Keefe in 2001 O'Keefe, F. R. 2001. A cladistic analysis and taxonomic revision of the Plesiosauria (Reptilia: Sauropterygia). Acta Zoologica Fennica 213: 1-63. ] and Smith & Dyke in 2008 Smith AS, Dyke GJ. 2008. The skull of the giant predatory pliosaur "Rhomaleosaurus cramptoni": implications for plesiosaur phylogenetics. "Naturwissenschaften" e-published 2008.]

*Suborder: †Pliosauroidea Welles, 1943 sensu O'Keefe, 2001
**†"Attenborosaurus" Bakker, 1993
**? †"Bishanopliosaurus" Dong, 1980
**†"Hauffiosaurus" O’Keefe, 2001
**? †"Megalneusaurus" Knight, 1898
**? †"Pachycostasaurus" Cruickshank, Martill & Noe, 1996
**? †"Sinopliosaurus" G. Young, 1820
**†"Thalassiodracon" Storrs & Taylor, 1996
**Family: †Rhomaleosauridae (Nopsca, 1928) Kuhn, 1961 "sensu" Smith & Dyke, 2008
***"Archaeonectrus" Novozhilov, 1964
***"Eurycleidus" Andrews, 1922
***? "Hexatarostinus"
***"Macroplata" Swinton, 1930
***"Maresaurus" Gasparini, 1997
***"Rhomaleosaurus" Seeley, 1874 Paraphyletic
***? "Yuzhoupliosaurus" Zhang, 1985
**Family: †Leptocleididae White, 1940 "sensu" Smith & Dyke, 2008
***"Leptocleidus" Andrews, 1922 Paraphyletic
***"Umoonasaurus" Kear, Schroeder & Lee, 2006
**Family: †Pliosauridae Seeley, 1874 "sensu" Smith & Dyke, 2008
***"Brachauchenius" Williston, 1903
***"Kronosaurus" Longman, 1924
***"Liopleurodon" Sauvage, 1873
***"Peloneustes" Lydekker, 1889
***? "Plesiopleurodon" Carpenter, 1996
***"Pliosaurus" Owen, 1841
***? "Polyptychodon" Owen, 1841
***"Simolestes" Andrews, 1909

Discoveries

In August 2006, paleontologists of the University of Oslo discovered the first remains of a pliosaur on Norwegian soil. The remains were described as "very well preserved as well as being unique in their completeness" and are the first complete skeleton of a pliosaur ever discovered. Whether it belongs to the genus "Pliosaurus" or "Liopleurodon" awaits publication of the fossil description.

The discovery of an another very large pliosaur was announced in 2002, from Mexico. This pliosaur came to be known as the 'Monster of Aramberri'. The size of this specimen has been estimated to be about 15 meters (49.2 ft) long and it had a convert|10|ft|m|sing=on long skull. Consequently, although widely reported as such, it does not belong to the genus "Liopleurodon".http://www.plesiosaur.com/plesiosaurs/liopleurodon.php] The remains of this animal consisting of a partial vertebral column, were dated to the Kimmeridgian of the La Caja Formation. [ M.-C. Buchy, E. Frey, W. Stinnesbeck, J.-G. Lopez-Oliva (2003) "First occurrence of a gigantic pliosaurid plesiosaur in the late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of Mexico", Bull. Soc. geol. Fr., 174(3), pp. 271-278] The fossils were found much earlier in 1985 by a geology student and were at first erroneously attributed to a theropod dinosaur by Hahnel. [Hahnel W. (1988) "Hallazgo de restos de dinosaurio en Aramberri, N.L.,Mexico",Actas Fac. Cienc. Tierra UANL Linares, 3, 245-250.] The remains also originally contained part of a rostrum with teeth (now lost).

References

ee also

* Plesiosaur
* Plesiosauria

Further reading

* [http://www.plesiosauria.com/pliosauridae.html The Plesiosaur Directory - pliosaur page]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2390350,00.html Possibly the first full skeleton of a pliosaur was found in October, 2006.]
* [http://www.nhm.uio.no/pliosaurus/english The monster from the North ]