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Taniwhasaurus
''Taniwhasaurus'' is an extinct genus of mosasaurs (a group of extinct Marine reptile, marine lizards) that lived during the Campanian Stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Late Cretaceous. It is a member of the subfamily Tylosaurinae, a lineage of mosasaurs characterized by a long toothless conical Rostrum (anatomy), rostrum. Two Valid name (zoology), valid species are attached to the genus, ''T. oweni'' and ''T. antarcticus'', known respectively from the fossil record of present-day New Zealand and Antarctica. ''T. capensis'' from present-day South Africa represents a Chimera (paleontology), chimera of two different mosasaur genera, potentially ''Prognathodon'' and ''Taniwhasaurus'', but not identifiable at the species level. The other formerly assigned species, ''T. mikasaensis'' from present-day Japan, remains problematic due to the fragmentary state of the attributed fossils. The Binomial nomenclature, generic name literally means "taniwha lizard", referring to a supernatural aqu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tylosaurus
''Tylosaurus'' (; "knob lizard") is a genus of Russellosaurina, russellosaurine mosasaur (an extinct group of predatory marine Squamata, lizards) that lived about 92 to 66 million years ago during the Turonian to Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous. Its fossils have been found primarily around Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean including in North America, Europe, and Africa. Research history Possible first finds The earliest ''Tylosaurus'' fossils were likely discovered by various Native Americans in the United States, Native American peoples and may have been the source of much of their folklore, with the earliest known ones dating back to well before the European colonization of the Americas, arrival of European settlers, around the 1500s. More recent accounts from peoples living in the Great Plains even speak of an ancient era ruled by massive aquatic creatures that were in constant combat with Thunderbird (mythology), thunderbirds and were Petrifaction, petrified b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tylosaurinae
The Tylosaurinae are a subfamily of mosasaurs,Williston, S. W. 1897. Range and distribution of the mosasaurs with remarks on synonymy. ''Kansas University Quarterly'' 4(4):177-185. a diverse group of Late Cretaceous marine squamates. Members of the subfamily are informally and collectively known as "tylosaurines" and have been recovered from every continent except for South America. The subfamily includes the genera ''Tylosaurus'', '' Taniwhasaurus'', and '' Kaikaifilu'', although some scientists argue that only ''Tylosaurus'' and ''Taniwhasaurus'' should be included. Tylosaurines first appeared in the ConiacianEverhart MJ. 2005b. Earliest record of the genus ''Tylosaurus'' (Squamata; Mosasauridae) from the Fort Hays Limestone (Lower Coniacian) of western Kansas. ''Transactions'' 108 (3/4): 149-155. and gave rise to some of the largest mosasaurs within the genera ''Tylosaurus'' and ''Hainosaurus'' which came to dominate as apex predators in marine ecosystems throughout the Santo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1874 In Paleontology
Dinosaurs *Richard Owen publishes a monograph on Wealden Group, Wealden and Purbeck Group, Purbeck reptiles, classifying ''Scelidosaurus'', ''Iguanodon'' and ''Echinodon'' in the new dinosaur clade Prionodontia. New taxa Ichthyosaurs New taxa Plesiosaurs New taxa Pterosaurs Newly named pterosaurs Squamates Newly named mosasaurs References {{Reflist 1870s in paleontology 1874 in science, Paleontology, 1874 In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2002 In Paleontology
Plants Gymnosperms Angiosperms Arthropods Insects Conodonts New taxa Archosauromorphs Dinosaurs New taxa Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list. Birds New taxa Plesiosaurs New taxa Pterosaurs In October, a partial ''Mesadacylus'' wing was discovered in the Kingsview Quarry of Colorado. This find marks the first time that a Morrison Formation, Morrison Paleobiota of the Morrison Formation#Pterosaurs, pterosaur has been found at more than one site in the formation.Foster, J. (2007). "''Mesadactylus ornithosphyos''." ''Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World''. Indiana University Press. pp. 159-160. New taxa Lepidosauromorphs Squamates New taxa Synapsids Non-mammalian References {{Reflist, 2 2002 in paleontology, 2000s in paleontology 2002 in science, Paleontology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prognathodon
''Prognathodon'' is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It is classified as part of the Mosasaurinae subfamily, alongside genera like ''Mosasaurus'' and ''Clidastes''. ''Prognathodon'' has been recovered from deposits ranging in age from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian in the Middle East, Europe, New Zealand, Africa and North America. ''Prognathodon'' means "forejaw tooth", which originates from the Latin ''pro''- ("earlier" or "prior"), Greek language, Greek ''gnathos'' ("jaw") and ''odṓn'' ("tooth"). Twelve nominal species of ''Prognathodon'' are recognised, from North America, North Africa, northern and West Africa, western Africa, the Middle East, western Europe and New Zealand. Due to the sometimes clear differences between them and the incomplete nature of many of the specimens, the systematics of the genus and which species should properly be considered ''Prognathodon'' is controversial. Some species have been assigned to other genera, s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2008 In Paleontology
Protozoa New taxa Plants Ferns and fern allies Angiosperms Monocots Arthropoda Arachnomorphs Crustaceans Research * Schram (2008) publishes an adjustment to the taxonomy of Paleozoic stomatopods, erecting the family Archaeocarididae. Insects Xiphosurans Fishes Bony fish Cartilaginous fish Placoderms General research *Hilton & Grande redescribe the fossil Hiodontidae, mooneyes of western North America synonymizing the genus ''Eohiodon'' with ''Hiodon''. *Cicimurri, Paris, & Everhart describe a partial dentition from a Holocephali chimaeroid fish found in the Niobrara Chalk. Amphibians Jenkins, F. A., jr, Shubin, N. H., Gatesy, S. M., and Warren, A., 2008, Gerrothorax pulcherrimus from the Upper Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation of East Greenland and a reassessment of head lifting in temnospondyl feeding: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, v. 28, n. 4, p. 935-950. Newly named amphibians Archosaurs Newly named pseudosuchians Newly named p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mosasaur
Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Ancient Greek, Greek ' meaning 'lizard') are an extinct group of large aquatic reptiles within the family Mosasauridae that lived during the Late Cretaceous. Their first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764. They belong to the order Squamata, which includes lizards and snakes. During the last 20 million years of the Cretaceous period (Turonian–Maastrichtian ages), with the extinction of the ichthyosaurs and Pliosauridae, pliosaurs, mosasaurids became the dominant marine predators. They themselves became extinct as a result of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, K-Pg event at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago. Description Mosasaurs breathed air, were powerful swimmers, and were well-adapted to living in the warm, shallow Inland sea (geology), inland seas prevalent during the Late Cretaceous period. Mosasaurs were so well adapted to thi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taniwha
In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respected kaitiaki (protective guardians) of people and places, or in some traditions as dangerous, predatory beings, which for example would kidnap women to have as wives. Etymology and Pacific analogues Linguists have reconstructed the word ''taniwha'' to Proto-Oceanic *''tanifa'', with the meaning "shark species". In Tongan and Niuean, ''tenifa'' refers to a large dangerous shark, as does the Samoan ''tanifa''; the Tokelauan ''tanifa'' is a sea-monster that eats people. In most other Polynesian languages, the cognate words refer to sharks or simply fish. Some anthropologists have stated that the taniwha has "analogues that appear within other Polynesian cosmologies".A. Asbjørn Jøn,The Road and the Taniwha in ''Australian Folklore: A Year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in amber, hair, petrified wood and DNA remnants. The totality of fossils is known as the ''fossil record''. Though the fossil record is incomplete, numerous studies have demonstrated that there is enough information available to give a good understanding of the pattern of diversification of life on Earth. In addition, the record can predict and fill gaps such as the discovery of '' Tiktaalik'' in the arctic of Canada. Paleontology includes the study of fossils: their age, method of formation, and evolutionary significance. Specimens are sometimes considered to be fossils if they are over 10,000 years old. The oldest fossils are around 3.48 billion years to 4.1 billion years old. Early edition, published online before prin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stage (stratigraphy)
In chronostratigraphy, a stage is a succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic timescale, which usually represents millions of years of deposition. A given stage of rock and the corresponding age of time will by convention have the same name, and the same boundaries. Rock series are divided into stages, just as geological epochs are divided into ages. Stages are divided into smaller stratigraphic units called chronozones or substages, and added together into superstages. The term faunal stage is sometimes used, referring to the fact that the same fauna (animals) are found throughout the layer (by definition). Definition Stages are primarily defined by a consistent set of fossils ( biostratigraphy) or a consistent magnetic polarity (see paleomagnetism) in the rock. Usually one or more index fossils that are common, found worldwide, easily recognized, and limited to a single, or at most a few, stages are used to define the stage's bottom. Thus, f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of island countries, sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The Geography of New Zealand, country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps (), owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. Capital of New Zealand, New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland. The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and subsequently developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of . Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of . Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual Climate of Antarctica#Precipitation, precipitation of over along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost . Antarctica holds the record for the Lowest temperature recorded on Earth, lowest measured temperature on Earth, . The coastal regions can reach temperatures over in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
