Pliosaurus
genus of reptiles (fossil) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pliosaurus was an extinct genus of gigantic plesiosaur from the late Jurassic of Europe and South America. Their diet included fish, cephalopods, and marine reptiles.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type species ...
Pliosaurus | |
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P. kevani holotype skull | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
Order: | †Plesiosauria |
Family: | †Pliosauridae |
Clade: | †Thalassophonea |
Genus: | †Pliosaurus Owen, 1842 |
Type species | |
†Pliosaurus brachydeirus Owen, 1842 | |
Species[1][2] | |
Species pending reassessment
Species pending ICZN petition
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Synonyms | |
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Most European species of Pliosaurus grew to about 8 metres (26 ft) long and weighed about 5 metric tons (5.5 short tons). Some would have been the largest plesiosaurs of all time, more than 10 metres (33 ft) in length. Their teeth were triangular in cross section.