In Depth
Polyptychodon has been considered to be a dubious genus of pliosaur by some considering that it is based upon only teeth and vertebrae. Despite this two species are recognised, The first and type species, being named in 1841 and based upon teeth and vertebrae from England and France that are Aptian in Age. Further pliosaur remains from the Turonian of Texas, were used to establish the second species, P. hudsoni.
The vertebrae of Polyptychodon have been compared to those of other pliosaur genera such as Kronosaurus, which in turn have yielded rough estimates of around seven meters long for Polyptychodon. If correct, then this would mean that Polyptychodon was a mid-sized pliosaur.
Further Reading
- Odontography. - Hippolyte Bailli�re, London, 655 p. - Richard Owen - 1841. - The first record of the plesiosaurian genus Polyptychodon (Pliosauridae) from the New World. - Journal of Paleontology 37 (1):131-133. - S. P. Welles & B. H. Slaughter - 1963. - The “sauropod” from the Albian of Mesnil-Saint-P�re (Aube, France): a pliosaur, not a dinosaur. - Association G�ologique Auboise, Bulletin Annuel, Sainte-Savine 26: 3-8. - E. Buffetaut, C. Collet�, B. Dubus, J. -L. Petit - 2005. – A reappraisal of Polyptychodon (Plesiosauria) from the Cretaceous of England. – PeerJ 4 – D. Madzia – 2016.
