Tuarangisaurus

Tu-ar-an-ge-sore-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

Tuarangisaurus ‭(‬Ancient lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Tu-ar-an-ge-sore-us.

Named By

Wiffen‭ & ‬Moisley‭ ‬-‭ ‬1986.

Classification

Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria,‭ ‬Elasmosauridae.

Diet

Piscivore/Carnivore.

Species

T.‭ ‬keyesi‭

Size

Estimated at‭ ‬8‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

New Zealand‭ ‬-‭ ‬Tahora Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Based upon an almost complete skull,‭ ‬mandible‭ (‬lower jaw‭)‬,‭ ‬and cervical‭ (‬neck‭) ‬vertebra.‭ ‬Partial post cranial remains have been attributed to the genus.

In Depth

       Named from a combination of the Maori word for‭ ‘‬ancient‭’ ‬and the ancient Greek for‭ ‘‬lizard‭’‬,‭ ‬Tuarangisaurus was the second plesiosaur discovered in New Zealand.‭ ‬As an elasmosaurid Tuarangisaurus would have relied upon a combination of its long neck and long sharp teeth to seize prey items such as fish and squid.

       For a time Tuarangisaurus shared its waters with the much larger elasmosaurid plesiosaur Mauisaurus.

Further Reading

– Late Cretaceous reptiles (families Elasmosauridae and Pliosauridae) from the Mangahouanga Stream, North Island, New Zealand. – New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 29:205-252. – J. Wiffen & W. L. Moisley – 1986. – Tuarangisaurus australis sp. nov. (Plesiosauria: Elasmosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of northeastern Queensland, with additional notes on the phylogeny of the Elasmosauridae. – Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 50: 2, p 425-440 ISSN 0079-8835. – S. Seachs – 2005. – Reappraisal of Tuarangisaurus? cabazai (Elasmosauridae, Plesiosauria) from the Upper Maastrichtian of northern Patagonia, Argentina. – Cretaceous Research. 47: 39–47. – J. P. O’Gorman, Z. Gasparini & L. Salgado – 2014. – Redescription of Tuarangisaurus keyesi (Sauropterygia; Elasmosauridae), a key species from the uppermost Cretaceous of the Weddellian Province: Internal skull anatomy and phylogenetic position. – Cretaceous Research. 71: 118–136. – J. P. O’Gorman, R. A. Otero, N. Hiller, J. Simes & M. Terezow – 2016.

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