Acostasaurus

Ah-kos-tah-sor-us.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

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

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Name

Acostasaurus ‭(‬Acosta's lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ah-kos-tah-sor-us.

Named By

M.‭ ‬Gomez-Perez‭ & ‬L.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Noe‭ ‬-‭ ‬2017.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria,‭ ‬Pliosauridae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬pavachoquensis‭

Size

‭Holotype skull about 68-70 centimetres long. Body length uncertain but roughly estimated at about 4 meters long for holotype indivdual.

Known locations

Colombia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Paja Formation.

Time Period

Barremian of‭ ‬the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Skull and partial post cranial remains.

In Depth

       Acostasaurus is a genus of pliosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous period.‭ ‬Acostasaurus was a small to middle sized pliosaur that seems to have‭ ‬differed from brachauchenisine pliosaur that were otherwise common at the time and location.‭ ‬This could suggest that Acostasaurus had a different lifestyle/feeding preference to other larger pliosaurs.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Cranial anatomy of a new pliosaurid Acostasaurus pavachoquensis from the Lower Cretaceous of Colombia,‭ ‬South America.‭ ‬Palaeontographica Abteilung A‭ ‬310‭(‬1-2‭)‬:5-42.‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Gomez-Perez‭ & ‬L.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Noe‭ ‬-‭ ‬2017.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT