In Depth Discosaurus is a genus of plesiosaur that is known to have swam in the waters of the Western Interior Seaway during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - [Descriptions of a number of fossil reptiles and mammals] . - Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 5:325-328. - J. Leidy - 1851. … Read more
In Depth Muraenosaurus was a Jurassic era plesiosaur similar to the much more famous Plesiosaurus, although Muraenosaurus actually seems to have had a proportionately longer neck. This is likely an adaptation that would have helped it to catch fish. It’s probable however that Muraenosaurus itself was targeted by large Jurassic era pliosaurs such as Liopleurodon, … Read more
In Depth Brancasaurus is a genus of small plesiosaur that lived in the waters of Europe during the early Cretaceous. Because the holotype individual of Brancasaurus was fairly small, most of the skeleton has been recovered, and Brancasaurus is known as one of the most complete individual plesiosaurs ever recovered. Further Reading - Brancasaurus brancai … Read more
In Depth Anningasaura was named in honour of Mary Anning. Mary Anning lived in the early nineteenth century, and spent a lifetime collecting fossils on the shorelines of Dorset, many of which were sold in her families shop in Lyme Regis. Anning’s discoveries and contributions to science would eventually lead to worldwide recognition of her … Read more
In Depth Charitosaurus is a little known genus of plesiosaur that is only represented by partial remains. The level of preservation of these remains is so low that Charitosaurus is actually regarded as a Nomen dubium by many. Further Reading - System der fossilen Saurier [Taxonomy of fossil saurians] - Neues Jahrbuch f�r Mineralogie, Geognosie, … Read more