Makhaira

Mak-hye-rah.
Published on

Emerson Winslow

Paleoichthyologist

Emerson Winslow delves into the underwater world of prehistoric fish, uncovering the mysteries of early marine life. His discoveries have enhanced understanding of vertebrate evolution in aquatic environments.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Makhaira ‭(‬named after a type of Ancient greek sword/large knife,‭ ‬with a backwards curving blade‭)‬.

Phonetic

Mak-hye-rah.

Named By

V.‭ ‬Fischer,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Arkhangelsky,‭ ‬I.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Stenshin,‭ ‬G.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Uspensky,‭ ‬N.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Zverkov‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Benson‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria,‭ ‬Pliosauridae,‭ ‬Brachaucheninae‭?

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬rossica‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of remains,‭ ‬but very roughly estimated to be about‭ ‬5‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Russia,‭ ‬Ulyanovsk Oblast.

Time Period

Hauterivian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Tips of upper and lower jaws,‭ ‬as well as partial dorsal‭ (‬back‭) ‬vertebrae and partial pelvic bones.

In Depth

       Makhaira is a genus of pliosaur that lived in waters that once submerged parts of Russia during the early Cretaceous.‭ ‬Due to lack of fossil material,‭ ‬little is known about the overall details of Makhaira.‭ ‬But these remains seem to have come from a small to medium sized pliosaur.‭ ‬The known teeth of Makhaira seem to suggest that Makhaira was more of a generalist,‭ ‬capable of hunting moderately sized prey of all types,‭ ‬without overly specialising on any one specific type of creature.

       Makhaira has in the past been cautiously identified as a brachauchenine pliosaur,‭ ‬though overall lack of fossils have made this assessment uncertain.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬in‭ ‬2017‭ ‬an additional genus of brachauchenine pliosaur named Luskhan was described from fossils‭ ‬recovered from the same region of Russia that the Makhaira type fossils were recovered from.‭

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Peculiar macrophagous adaptations in a new Cretaceous pliosaurid.‭ ‬Royal Society Open Science‭ ‬2‭(‬150552‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬V.‭ ‬Fischer,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Arkhangelsky,‭ ‬I.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Stenshin,‭ ‬G.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Uspensky,‭ ‬N.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Zverkov‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Benson‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

Never Miss a New Species or Fossil Discovery!

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT