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Pliosaurus

All articles tagged with #pliosaurus

science2 years ago•2 min saved

Giant prehistoric sea creatures found in museum storage.

Paleontologists from the University of Portsmouth have discovered four enormous vertebrae closely related to a species of Pliosaurus, suggesting that these ancient creatures could have grown to a jaw-dropping length of up to 47 feet, twice the size of a killer whale. The discovery sheds new light on the size of prehistoric marine reptiles and adds to our understanding of the incredible diversity and colossal size of ancient marine reptiles.

via Study Finds|

#fossils #marine-reptiles #paleontology

science2 years ago•3 min saved

Uncovering the Secrets of Gigantic Prehistoric Sea Creatures.

University of Portsmouth paleontologists have published a paper on a pliosaur species that could have grown up to 14.4 meters long, twice the size of a killer whale. The discovery was made after a chance finding of four enormous vertebrates in an Oxfordshire museum. Pliosaurs were at the top of the marine food chain and probably preyed on ichthyosaurs, long-necked plesiosaurs, and smaller marine crocodiles. The vertebrae were originally discovered during temporary excavations at Warren Farm in the River Thames Valley in Oxfordshire and come from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, which is Late Jurassic in age, around 152 million years old.

via Phys.org|

#fossils #jurassic-seas #marine-reptiles