Name:
Luetkesaurus
(Luetkens’ lizard).
Phonetic: Lewt-ke-sore-us.
Named By: V. Kiprijanoff - 1883.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Unknown due to lack of fossils.
Known locations: Russia.
Time period: Late Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Vertebrae and teeth.
Luetkesaurus is a genus of plesiosaur that was swimming in waters around what would become Russia during the Late Cretaceous. As a genus Luetkesaurus is often considered to be dubious because so far it is only named from teeth and a few vertebrae. Luetkesaurus was named in honour of Christian Frederich Luetken.
Further reading
- The Age of Dinosaurs in
Russia and Mongolia. - Cambridge University Press. - Michael J. Benton,
Mikhail A. Shishkin & David M. Unwin - 2003.