Eardasaurus

Ear-dah-sor-us.
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Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

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Name

Eardasaurus ‭(‬home lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ear-dah-sor-us.

Named By

Hilary Ketchum‭ & ‬Roger Benson‭ ‬-‭ ‬2022.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria,‭ ‬Pliosauridae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬powelli‭

Size

Skull about‭ ‬89‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Full body length about‭ ‬4.7‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

England‭ ‬-‭ ‬Oxford Clay Formation.

Time Period

Callovian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Almost complete skull and jaws and most of the post cranial skeleton.

In Depth

       Eardasaurus is a‭ ‬genus of pliosaur known to‭ ‬have lived around European waters during the Middle Jurassic.‭ ‬The skull of Eardasaurus displays some proportional features that are similar to the famous Liopleurodon,‭ ‬including‭ ‬a diastema where the premaxilla meets the maxilla.‭ ‬However the skull of Eardasaurus suggests that as many as thirty-four to thirty-five teeth may have been present across the skull tooth bearing bones,‭ ‬almost double the number of teeth present in Liopleurodon.‭ ‬The preserved teeth in Eardasaurus also have traces of what appears to have been enamelled cutting edges in life.

Further reading

-‭ ‬A new pliosaurid from the Oxford Clay Formation of Oxfordshire,‭ ‬UK.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.‭ ‬67.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Hilary Ketchum‭ & ‬Roger Benson‭ ‬-‭ ‬2022.

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