Pantosaurus

Pan-to-sor-us.
Published on

Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Pantosaurus ‭(‬All lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Pan-to-sor-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria,‭ ‬Plesiosauriodea,‭ ‬Cryptoclididae.

Diet

Piscivore.

Species

P.‭ ‬striatus‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Wyoming‭ ‬-‭ ‬Sundance Formation.

Time Period

Oxfordian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial remains of several individuals.

In Depth

       Pantosaurus was originally described as Parasaurus,‭ ‬however this name had already been used to name a genus of Pareiasaur.‭ ‬Pantosaurus is a genus of plesiosaur that lived in North America during the late Jurassic.‭ ‬Pantosaurus has been noted as having a strong similarity to Muraenosaurus which is known from England and France,‭ ‬though there are clear differences in the humerus and radius‭ (‬two bones of the fore limb‭)‬.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Current taxonomic status of the plesiosaur Pantosaurus striatus from the Upper Jurassic Sundance Formation,‭ ‬Wyoming.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Paludicola‭ ‬4‭ (‬2‭)‬:‭ ‬37‭–‬46.‭ ‬-‭ ‬F.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬O’Keefe‭ & ‬W.‭ ‬Wahl‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT