Pliosaurus

PLIOSAURUS

“More Lizard”

Time period: Late Jurassic, 157 to 145 million years ago.

Place of discovery: Europe.

Diet: Fish, squid and turtles

Pliosaurus versus Plesiosaurus

Pliosaurs were massive marine reptiles with short necks and            large heads, while the related plesiosaurus had longer necks and smaller heads. Generally Plesiosaurs had front paddles or limbs that were larger than its back limbs, while Pliosaurs had larger back limbs.

“Predator X”

When the fragmented remains (around 20,000 pieces) of the Pliosaur “Pliosaurus Funkei” were discovered in 2006, it was estimated to be 15m long and was named “Predator X” after years of analysing the specimens closely “Predator X” was found to be around 10 to 12,8m long and it was a different species of Pliosaurus. Among the various Pliosaurus species, Pliosaurus had front paddles that were proportionally larger, teeth that had different spacing, as well as a vertebrae with a slight varied shape. Even though it was smaller from previous estimations, its huge size and length of 12m was still larger than the largest living apex predator – the killer whale which can grow up to 9m long!

“Flying” through water

Pliosaurus were built for speed and had limbs that were paddle shaped to help them move swift through water. Most likely, they swam very quickly and chased down their pray before immobilising them with a bite. Pliosaurs hunted in the shallow seas and were known to consume their long-neck cousins, the Plesiosaurus. The stomach content of some of the Pliosaurs revealed that they also consumed dinosaurs and could indicate that they fed on dinosaur carcasses that might have floated out to sea. Eventually, the majestic Mosasaurs took the feeding niche of the Pliosaurs in the prehistoric seas.