|
Metriorhynchids
Metriorhynchidae is an extinct family of specialized, aquatic metriorhynchoid crocodyliforms from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous period (Bajocian to early Aptian) of Europe, North America and South America. The name Metriorhynchidae was coined by the Austrian zoologist Leopold Fitzinger in 1843.Fitzinger LJFJ. 1843. ''Systema Reptilium''. Wien: Braumüller et Seidel, 106 pp. The group contains two subfamilies, the Metriorhynchinae and the Geosaurinae. They represent the most marine adapted of all archosaurs. Description Metriorhynchids are fully aquatic crocodyliforms. Their forelimbs were small and paddle-like, and unlike living crocodylians, they lost their osteoderms ("armour scutes"). Their body shape maximised hydrodynamy (swimming efficiency), as they did have a shark-like tail fluke. Like ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, metriorhynchids developed smooth, scaleless skin. However, unlike those marine reptiles, they were poikilothermic with little to no endother ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Plesiosuchus
''Plesiosuchus'' is an extinct genus of geosaurine metriorhynchid crocodyliform known from the Late Jurassic (late Kimmeridgian to early Tithonian stage) of Dorset, England and possibly also Spain. It contains a single species, ''Plesiosuchus manselii''. Discovery The type and referred specimens of ''Plesiosuchus'' were discovered by John Clavell Mansel-Pleydell in the 1860s alongside the remains of several other large-bodied marine reptiles along the coast of Dorset. Mansel-Pleydell gave these remains to the British Museum (now in the Natural History Museum) in 1866. Part of the holotype of ''P. manselii'' (NHMUK PV OR40103a) was first described by John Hulke in 1869. He referred it to ''Steneosaurus rostro-minor'' Geoffroy (1825), alongside '' Dakosaurus maximus'' and other specimens. Initially, the skull (NHMUK PV OR40103) was believed to be pliosaurian; it was the preparator Mr Davies that suggested a crocodylian nature for the skull. In 1870, Hulke de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Cricosaurus
''Cricosaurus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliforms of the Late Jurassic. belonging to the family Metriorhynchidae. The genus was established by Johann Andreas Wagner in 1858 for three skulls from the Tithonian (Late Jurassic) of Germany. The name ''Cricosaurus'' means "Ring lizard", and is derived from the Greek '- ("ring") and -' ("lizard"). It was a relatively small reptile, with ''C. suevicus'' and ''C. araucanensis'' measuring and in total body length, respectively. Discovery ''Cricosaurus'' was first named by Wagner in 1858,Wagner A. 1858. Zur Kenntniss der Saurier aus den lithographischen Schiefern. ''Abhandlungen der Mathemat.-Physikalischen Classe der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften'' 8: 415-528. as a reclassification of a specimen he had previously described in 1852 ("Stenosaurus" ''elegans'', "Stenosaurus" being a misspelling of ''Steneosaurus'').Wagner A. 1852. Neu-aufgefundene Saurier-Überreste aus dem lithographischen Schiefern und ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Geosaurus
''Geosaurus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform within the family Metriorhynchidae, that lived during the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous. ''Geosaurus'' was a carnivore that spent much, if not all, its life out at sea. No ''Geosaurus'' eggs or nests have been discovered, so little is known of the reptile's lifecycle, unlike other large marine reptiles of the Mesozoic, such as plesiosaurs or ichthyosaurs which are known to give birth to live young out at sea. Where ''Geosaurus'' mated, whether on land or at sea, is currently unknown. The name ''Geosaurus'' means "Mother of Giants lizard", and is derived from the Greek '' Ge''- ("Earth", the mythical mother of the Giants) and - ("lizard"). The name ''Geosaurus'' was established by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1824.Cuvier G. 1824. Sur les ossements fossiles de crocodiles, 5. In: Dufour & D'Occagne, eds. ''Recherches sur les ossements fossiles, 2nd édition''. Paris: 143-160 Description ''Geosaurus'' w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Enalioetes
''Enalioetes'' is an extinct genus of metriorhynchid thalattosuchian from the Early Cretaceous Stadthagen Formation of Germany. The type species is ''E. schroederi''. Prior to its description in 2024, it was known under the informal names '' Enaliosuchus'' "schroederi" and '' Cricosaurus'' "schroederi". Discovery and naming The holotype, which consists of much of the skull as well as parts of the neck, was discovered no later than 1916 in the Stadthagen Formation in Engelbostel, Germany. At the time of its discovery, the fossil material was thought to have belonged to a type of ichthyosaur by its discoverer, a government architect by the name of D. Hapke. Hapke then turned the fossils over to Prussian paleontologist Henry Schroeder in 1916, who proceeded to prepare and describe the material. Some years prior, in 1883, Ernst Koken described another metriorhynchid from the Stadthagen Formation, which he named '' Enaliosuchus macrospondylus''.Koken E. (1883). Die reptilian der ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Dakosaurus
''Dakosaurus'' is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph within the family Metriorhynchidae that lived during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. It was large, with teeth that were serrated and compressed lateromedially (flattened from side to side). The genus was established by Friedrich August von Quenstedt in 1856 for an isolated tooth named ''Geosaurus maximus'' by Theodor Plieninger in 1846. ''Dakosaurus'' was a carnivore that spent much, if not all, of its life out at sea. The extent of its adaptation to a marine lifestyle means that it is most likely that it mated at sea, but since no eggs or nests have been discovered that have been referred to ''Dakosaurus'', whether it gave birth to live young at sea like dolphins and ichthyosaurs or came ashore like turtles is not known yet. The name ''Dakosaurus'' means "biter lizard", and is derived from the Greek ' ("biter") and -' ("lizard"). Discovery and species The type species ''Dakosaurus maximus'', meaning "greatest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Torvoneustes
''Torvoneustes'' is an extinct genus of metriorhynchid thalattosuchian. It is known from skull and postcranial remains found in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation of Dorset and Wiltshire, England, the Virgula Marls of Switzerland and also from Oaxaca, Mexico . The holotype skull of the type species was initially assigned to the species ''Metriorhynchus superciliosus''. Postcranial remains were later discovered from the same quarry as the skull, and then these specimens were recognised as belonging to a new species of ''Dakosaurus'', as ''D. carpenteri''. The species was named to honour Simon Carpenter, an amateur geologist from Frome in Somerset, who discovered the fossils. ''Dakosaurus carpenteri'' was later reassigned to the genus ''Geosaurus'' in 2008. Two years later, it was assigned to its own genus, ''Torvoneustes''. When ''T. carpenteri'' was considered a species of ''Dakosaurus'', its relatively long snout and smaller, more numerous teeth were thought to be features retained ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Rhacheosaurus
''Rhacheosaurus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform belonging to the family (biology), family Metriorhynchidae. The genus was established by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer in 1831 for skeletal remains from the Tithonian (Late Jurassic) of Germany.Meyer, H von 1831. ''Neue fossile Reptilien aus der Ordung der Saurier'' Nova Acta Academiae Leopoldino-Carolinae Curios 15 (2): 173-184. It was a relatively small reptile, measuring between long. History and classification A phylogenetic analysis in 2009 showed that several long-snouted species formerly classified in the related genera ''Geosaurus'', ''Enaliosuchus'', and ''Metriorhynchus'' were in fact more closely related to the original specimens of ''Cricosaurus'', and thus were re-classified into this genus. This analysis also resurrected the generic name ''Rhacheosaurus''. Niche partitioning Several species of metriorhynchids are known from the Mörnsheim Formation (Solnhofen limestone, early Tithonian) of Bava ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Metriorhynchus
''Metriorhynchus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform that lived in the oceans during the Late Jurassic. The type species, ''M. brevirostris'' was named in 1829 as a species of ''Steneosaurus'' before being named as a separate genus by the German palaeontologist Christian von Meyer in 1832. The name ''Metriorhynchus'' means "moderate snout", and is derived from the Greek ''Metrio''- ("moderate") and -''rhynchos'' ("snout"). Discovery and species Fossil specimens referrable to ''Metriorhynchus'' are known from Kimmeridgian (Late Jurassic) deposits of France. Valid species Only one valid species is recognized today, the type species ''M. geoffroyii'' (now called ''M. brevirostris''). ''"Metriorhynchus" hastifer'' and ''"M." palpebrosus'' are generically distinct from the ''Metriorhynchus'' type species, with ''hastifer'' being recovered as a geosaurine. Species in this genus were traditionally classed into two skull groups: longirostrine (long, narrow jaws) and brevirost ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Neptunidraco
''Neptunidraco'' (meaning "Neptune's dragon") is an extinct genus of carnivorous marine crocodyliform that lived during the middle Jurassic period (late Bajocian to earliest Bathonian stage) in what is now northeastern Italy. It is known from a partial skeleton (incomplete skull with mandible) recovered from the nodular limestone of the Rosso Ammonitico Veronese Formation. This specimen had been provisionally referred to an unnamed species of Late Jurassic ''Metriorhynchus'' or ''Geosaurus''. ''Neptunidraco'' was named by Andrea Cau and Federico Fanti in 2011 and the type species is ''Neptunidraco ammoniticus''. The "Portomaggiore crocodile" is the most complete specimen of an Italian metriorhynchid to date and the oldest known metriorhynchid. In 2013, Andrea Cau suggested that the possible specimen of this genus, MGP-PD 26552 (catalog erroneously spelled as 6552, the intended type specimen of the informal name "''Steneosaurus ''Steneosaurus'' (from , 'narrow' and , 'liza ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Bajocian
In the geologic timescale, the Bajocian is an age and stage in the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 170.9 ±0.8 Ma to around 168.2 ±1.2 Ma (million years ago). The Bajocian Age succeeds the Aalenian Age and precedes the Bathonian Age. Stratigraphic definitions The Bajocian Stage takes its name from the Latin name (Bajocae) of the town of Bayeux, in the region of Normandy in France. The stage was named and introduced in scientific literature by French palaeontologist Alcide d'Orbigny in 1842. The base of the Bajocian stage is defined as the place in the stratigraphic column where fossils of the ammonite genus '' Hyperlioceras'' first appear. A global reference profile (a GSSP) for the base is located at Murtinheira, close to Cabo Mondego in Portugal.The GSSP is described by Pavia & Enay (1997) The top of the Bajocian (the base of the Bathonian) is at the first appearance of ammonite species ''Parkinsonia convergens''. Subdivision The Bajocian is often divided ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Crocodyliform
Crocodyliformes is a clade of Crurotarsi, crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the only pseudosuchians to survive the K-Pg extinction event. In 1988, James M. Clark argued that traditional names for well-known groups of animals should be restricted to their crown clades, that is, used only for natural groups comprising all living members of any given lineage and descendants of their closest common ancestor. This posed a problem for the crocodilians, because the name Crocodylia, while used in various ways by various scientists, had always included not only living crocodilians but many of their extinct ancestors known only from the fossil record.Benton, M.J. and Clark, J.M. (1988). "Archosaur phylogeny and the relationships of the Crocodylia." Pp. 295–338 in Benton, M.J. (ed.), ''The phylogeny and classification of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Charles William Andrews
Charles William Andrews (30 October 1866 – 25 May 1924) F.R.S., was a British palaeontologist whose career as a vertebrate paleontologist, both as a curator and in the field, was spent in the services of the British Museum, Department of Geology. Biography Andrews was born in Hampstead, Middlesex . A graduate of the University of London, Andrews was awarded an assistant's position at the British Museum, after a competitive exam, in 1892. His first concerns were with fossil birds, and he described '' Aepyornis titan'', the extinct "Elephant Bird" of Madagascar (1894). He noticed the connections among widely separated flightless rails of Mauritius, the Chatham Islands and New Zealand and deduced that their flightless character had been independently evolved on the spot. Alfred Nicholson Leeds' gifts to the British Museum of Jurassic marine reptiles from the Oxford Clay of Peterborough elicited his interest in plesiosaurs and other sea-reptiles which culminated in a catal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
