Pliosaurus
Pliosaurus was a giant marine reptile that ruled the Jurassic oceans. It had a huge head, a short neck, and powerful jaws full of sharp teeth. This predator could grow as long as a school bus and ate big prey like other sea creatures.1
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Fun facts
Pliosaurus had a skull that could be up to 2.1 metres (about 7 feet) long, making it one of the largest-headed marine reptiles.1
Its teeth were trihedral, meaning they had three flat sides, which helped it grip slippery prey.1
Pliosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic, about 165 to 66 million years ago, and its fossils are often found in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in England.4
The first Pliosaurus fossil was discovered in 1822 near Weymouth, England, and it was named by the famous scientist Richard Owen in 1841.1
Pliosaurus was a plesiosaur, but unlike the long-necked plesiosaurs, it had a short neck and a huge head.1
Some scientists think Pliosaurus could grow up to 15 metres (about 49 feet) long, but these estimates are debated.2
Most asked questions about Pliosaurus
?How big was Pliosaurus?
The largest species, P. funkei and P. kevani, are estimated at around 10 metres (33 ft) long and weighed nearly 11 tonnes (12 short tons). Some estimates go up to 15 metres (49 ft), but these are debated.32
?Was Pliosaurus a dinosaur?
No, Pliosaurus was not a dinosaur. It was a marine reptile called a plesiosaur, specifically a pliosaur, that lived in the ocean.3
?What did Pliosaurus eat?
Pliosaurus ate large prey like fish, ichthyosaurs, and other plesiosaurs. Its powerful jaws and trihedral teeth helped it grip slippery animals.3
?How fast could Pliosaurus swim?
Scientists do not know exactly how fast it swam, but it used its flippers for a swimming method called subaqueous flight, like sea turtles.3
?When did Pliosaurus live?
Pliosaurus lived from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, about 154 to 137 million years ago.3
?Where was Pliosaurus found?
Fossils of Pliosaurus have been found in Europe (especially England) and South America. Many come from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in England.31
?How big was Pliosaurus's skull?
The skull of the largest species could be over 2 metres (6.6 ft) long, making it one of the largest-headed marine reptiles.3
?What does the name Pliosaurus mean?
Pliosaurus means 'more lizard' in Greek. Richard Owen named it that because it looked more like a crocodile than the long-necked Plesiosaurus.3
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Myth buster
Myth: Pliosaurus was a dinosaur.
Truth: Pliosaurus was not a dinosaur. It was a marine reptile called a plesiosaur, which lived in the ocean during the time of dinosaurs.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Pliosaurus
- Named by
- (Owen 1841)4
- Group
- Plesiosaurs
- Family / clade
- Pliosauridae4
- Classification
- Plesiosauria > Pliosauridae > Sauropterygia4
- Age of the rocks
- 165 to 66 million years (Callovian / Maastrichtian)4
- Rock formations
- Kimmeridge Clay, Coral Rag, Oxford Clay4
- Countries
- United Kingdom, France, Russia, Norway, Argentina, Poland4
- Fossil records
- 57 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Also known as
- Ischyrodon, Spondylosaurus, Stretosaurus (older names now counted as the same animal)4
- Discovery
- The first Pliosaurus fossils were found in the early 1800s in England. Richard Owen named the genus Pliosaurus in 1841, based on a partial skeleton from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire.1
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate the exact maximum size of Pliosaurus, with estimates ranging from 10 to 15 metres long.2
Where the facts come from
- A Giant Pliosaurid Skull from the Late Jurassic of England | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
- A taxonomic revision of the genus Pliosaurus (Owen, 1841a) Owen, 1841b (geologi.no)
- Pliosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Pliosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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