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Tuarangisaurus
''Tuarangisaurus'' ( mi, tuarangi "ancient" + el, σαῦρος, sauros "lizard") is an extinct genus of elasmosaurid known from New Zealand. The type and only known species is ''Tuarangisaurus keyesi'', named by Wiffen and Moisley in 1986. Discovery ''Tuarangisaurus'' is known from the holotype NZGS CD425, a nearly complete skull and mandible, and from NZGS CD426, nine anterior-most cervical vertebrae. Some postcranial remains of juveniles were also attributed to ''Tuarangisaurus''. It was collected from the Maungataniwha Sandstone Member of the Tahora Formation, dating to the upper Campanian to lower Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous. A second species, ''T. australis'', was named in 2005; however, it was moved to the genus ''Eromangasaurus'' in 2007, becoming the senior synonym of ''E. carinognathus''. A third species, ''T.? cabazai'', was also referred to ''Tuarangisaurus'' by the original description; however, it was most recently reassigned to an indeterminat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eromangasaurus
''Eromangasaurus'' is an extinct genus of elasmosaurid known from northern Queensland of Australia. Description ''Eromangasaurus'' is a medium-sized elasmosaurid, measuring in length and in body mass. It is known from the holotype QM F11050, a nearly complete but badly crushed skull and mandible. It was collected in Maxwelton, from the Toolebuc Formation of the Eromanga Basin, dating to the late Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous, about 103 million years ago. Sven Sachs mentioned some referred material from the same locality as the holotype, QM F12216-19, an anterior cervical vertebra and QM F12217&2, associated posterior cervical vertebrae. Discovery ''Eromangasaurus'' was first named by Benjamin P. Kear in 2005 and the type species is ''Eromangasaurus australis''. Benjamin P. Kear originally named QM F11050 as ''Eromangasaurus carinognathus''. However, earlier in 2005, Sven Sachs named a second species of '' Tuarangisaurus'', ''Tuarangisaurus austral ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1986 In Paleontology
Plants Pinophytes Angiosperms Newly described insects Molluscs Bivalves Fish Dinosaurs Newly named dinosaurs Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list. Newly named birds Plesiosaurs New taxa Pterosaurs * Fossil jaw fragments containing multicusped teeth were found in Dockum Group rocks in western Texas. One fragment, apparently from a lower jaw, contained two teeth, each with five cusps. Another fragment, from an upper jaw, also contained several multi-cusped teeth. These finds are very similar to the pterosaur genus ''Eudimorphodon'' and may be attributable to this genus, although without better fossil remains it is impossible to be sure.Wellnhofer, Peter (1991). "Summary of Triassic Pterosaurs." ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs.'' London, UK: Salamander Books Limited. p. 67. . New taxa Synapsids Mammals References {{portal, Paleontology Paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tahora Formation
The Tahora Formation is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation that outcrops in northeastern New Zealand near Napier. It is Haumurian in age according to the New Zealand geologic time scale (mainly Campanian, but ranging from Santonian to lower Maastrichtian). It forms part of the Upper Cretaceous to Teurian (Danian) (lower Paleocene) Tinui Group. It unconformably overlies the Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Urewera Group or the Upper Cretaceous Matawai Group. It is conformably overlain by the Haumurian to Teurian Whangai Formation. It consist of three members, the Maungataniwha Sandstone Member, the Mutuera Member and the Houpapa Member. It is named for Tahora Station, south of Matawai in the Gisborne Region. The aptly named Maungataniwha (Māori for "mountain of monsters") Sandstone Member is known for its rich reptile fossil remains, first investigated by amateur palaeontologist Joan Wiffen. Depositional environment The whole of the Tinui Group is interpreted to be an upper Cr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elasmosauridae
Elasmosauridae is an extinct family of plesiosaurs, often called elasmosaurs. They had the longest necks of the plesiosaurs and existed from the Hauterivian to the Maastrichtian stages of the Cretaceous, and represented one of the two groups of plesiosaurs present at the end of the Cretaceous alongside Polycotylidae. Their diet mainly consisted of crustaceans and molluscs. Description The earliest elasmosaurids were mid-sized, about . In the Late Cretaceous, elasmosaurids grew as large as , such as '' Styxosaurus'', ''Albertonectes'', and '' Thalassomedon''. Their necks were the longest of all the plesiosaurs, with anywhere between 32 and 76 (''Albertonectes'') cervical vertebrae. They weighed up to several tons. Classification Early three-family classification Though Cope had originally recognized ''Elasmosaurus'' as a plesiosaur, in an 1869 paper he placed it, with ''Cimoliasaurus'' and ''Crymocetus'', in a new order of sauropterygian reptiles. He named the group Streptos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elasmosauridae
Elasmosauridae is an extinct family of plesiosaurs, often called elasmosaurs. They had the longest necks of the plesiosaurs and existed from the Hauterivian to the Maastrichtian stages of the Cretaceous, and represented one of the two groups of plesiosaurs present at the end of the Cretaceous alongside Polycotylidae. Their diet mainly consisted of crustaceans and molluscs. Description The earliest elasmosaurids were mid-sized, about . In the Late Cretaceous, elasmosaurids grew as large as , such as '' Styxosaurus'', ''Albertonectes'', and '' Thalassomedon''. Their necks were the longest of all the plesiosaurs, with anywhere between 32 and 76 (''Albertonectes'') cervical vertebrae. They weighed up to several tons. Classification Early three-family classification Though Cope had originally recognized ''Elasmosaurus'' as a plesiosaur, in an 1869 paper he placed it, with ''Cimoliasaurus'' and ''Crymocetus'', in a new order of sauropterygian reptiles. He named the group Streptos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Styxosaurus
''Styxosaurus'' is a genus of plesiosaur of the family Elasmosauridae. ''Styxosaurus'' lived during the Campanian age of the Cretaceous period. Two species are known: ''S. snowii'' and ''S. browni''. Description ''Styxosaurus'' was a large plesiosaur, one of several species of a group collectively called elasmosaurs that appeared in the Late Cretaceous. Elasmosaurs typically have a neck that is at least half the length of the body, and composed of 60-72 vertebrae. ''Styxosaurus'' was a large elasmosaur with a long neck. It reached in length and in body mass. Its sharp teeth were conical and were adapted to puncture and hold rather than to cut; like other plesiosaurs, ''Styxosaurus'' swallowed its food whole. Discovery The holotype specimen of ''Styxosaurus snowii'' was described by S.W. Williston from a complete skull and 20 vertebrae. Another more complete specimen - SDSMT 451 was discovered near Iona, South Dakota, also in the US, in 1945. The specimen was originally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elasmosaurus
''Elasmosaurus'' (;) is a genus of plesiosaur that lived in North America during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 80.5million years ago. The first specimen was discovered in 1867 near Fort Wallace, Kansas, US, and was sent to the American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, who named it ''E.platyurus'' in 1868. The generic name means "thin-plate reptile", and the specific name means "flat-tailed". Cope originally reconstructed the skeleton of ''Elasmosaurus'' with the skull at the end of the tail, an error which was made light of by the paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh, and became part of their "Bone Wars" rivalry. Only one incomplete ''Elasmosaurus'' skeleton is definitely known, consisting of a fragmentary skull, the spine, and the pectoral and pelvic girdles, and a single species is recognized today; other species are now considered invalid or have been moved to other genera. Measuring in length and in body mass, ''Elasmosaurus'' would have had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albertonectes
''Albertonectes'' is an extinct genus of elasmosaurid plesiosaur known from the Late Cretaceous (middle upper Campanian stage) Bearpaw Formation of Alberta, Canada. It contains a single species, ''Albertonectes vanderveldei''. ''Albertonectes'' is the longest elasmosaur, and more generally plesiosaur, known to date both in neck and total body length. Discovery ''Albertonectes'' is known solely from the holotype TMP 2007.011.0001, a complete well preserved postcranial skeleton housed at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta. Elements include all 132 vertebrae from the atlas-axis complex to fused tip of the tail vertebrae, complete pectoral and incomplete pelvic girdles, almost complete forelimbs and hindlimbs, disarticulated ribs, a gastralium, and at least 97 associated gastroliths. TMP 2007.011.0001 was discovered during mining for gem-quality ammonite shell called Ammolite by Korite International Ltd. about 150 meters south of the St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Futabasaurus
''Futabasaurus'' is a genus of plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Fukushima, Japan. It was described and named in 2006, and was assigned to the family Elasmosauridae. The genus contains one species, ''F. suzukii''. Description The size of ''Futabasaurus'' has been estimated within the range of in length and in body mass. It can be distinguished from other elasmosaurids by the following characteristics: there is a long distance between the eye sockets and nostrils; the interclavicles and clavicles are fused, and the anterior edge is bent; the humerus is relatively long; and the femora are slim and show prominent muscle scars. Discovery and naming ''Futabasaurus'' is the first elasmosaurid found in Japan. It was originally known as either "Wellesisaurus sudzuki" or "Futaba-ryu" before publication. The type specimen of ''Futabasaurus'' was found in the Irimazawa Member of the Tamayama Formation, in the Futaba Group of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The rocks in which it wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Callawayasaurus
''Callawayasaurus'' is a genus of plesiosaur from the family Elasmosauridae. When the holotype was first described by Samuel Paul Welles in 1962, it was described as ''Alzadasaurus colombiensis'' before being moved into its current genus by Kenneth Carpenter in 1999.Carpenter, K. 1999. "Revision of North American elasmosaurs from the Cretaceous of the Western Interior". ''Paludicola'' 2(2):148-173. Etymology ''Callawayasaurus'' is named in honor of the paleontologist Jack M. Callaway, editor of ''Ancient Marine Reptiles'' who, as Carpenter put it, "in his brief career as a vertebrate paleontologist, did much to improve our understanding of marine reptiles." The familiar suffix, ''-saurus'' comes from the Greek ' (), meaning "lizard" or "reptile." Description ''Callawayasaurus'' was a large plesiosaur, with a skull length of , body length of and body mass of . The nares of ''Callawayasaurus'' are elongated and positioned over the maxilla, which has 3-5 teeth. The neck con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stapes
The ''stapes'' or stirrup is a bone in the middle ear of humans and other animals which is involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear. This bone is connected to the oval window by its annular ligament, which allows the footplate to transmit sound energy through the oval window into the inner ear. The ''stapes'' is the smallest and lightest bone in the human body, and is so-called because of its resemblance to a stirrup ( la, Stapes). Structure The ''stapes'' is the third bone of the three ossicles in the middle ear and the smallest in the human body. It measures roughly , greater along the head-base span. It rests on the oval window, to which it is connected by an annular ligament and articulates with the ''incus'', or anvil through the incudostapedial joint. They are connected by anterior and posterior limbs ( la, crura). Development The ''stapes'' develops from the second pharyngeal arch during the sixth to eighth week of embryological life. The ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the Latin word for the white limestone known as chalk. The chalk of northern France and the white cliffs of south-eastern England date from the Cretaceous Period. Climate During the Late Cretaceous, the climate was warmer than present, although throughout the period a cooling trend is evident. The tropics became restricted to equatorial regions and northern latitudes experienced markedly more seasonal climatic conditions. Geography Due to plate tectonics, the Americas were gradually moving westward, causing the Atlantic Ocean to expand. The Western Interior Seaway divided North America into eastern and western halves; Appalachia and Laramidia. India maintained a northward course towards Asia. In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia and Ant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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