| Gallardosaurus Temporal range: Oxfordian | |
|---|---|
| |
| Christopher252's restoration of Gallardosaurus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Clade: | Sauropterygia |
| Order: | Plesiosauria |
| Suborder: | Pliosauria |
| Genus: | †Gallardosaurus |
| Species: | G. iturraldei Gasparini, 2009 |
| Binomial name | |
| Gallardosaurus iturraldei Gasparini, 2009 | |
Gallardosaurus ("Gallardo's lizard") is a genus of pliosaurid plesiosaur from Late Jurassic era in the Caribbean. It was a small sized pliosaur for its family but was one of the largest predators of its ecosystem. The type and only species is G. iturraidei.
Discovery & Naming[]
Specimen MNHNCu P3005, an incomplete skull and a few vertebrae, was discovered in 1946 in the Pinar del Río province of Cuba.1 It was discovered by a Cuban farmer and not fully prepared when seen by the scientists who first mentioned it and therefore wasn't described until much later. In 1996, the fossil was mentioned as resembling Pliosaurus ferox by Dr. Manuel Iturralde-Vinent but not fully described.
It was prepared and described in 2006 by Zulma Gasparini and Iturralde-Vinent, but classified as Peloneustes. Later, in 2009, it was recognized as a separate genus and described as Gallardosaurus iturraldei.1 The generic name derived from the original finder of the specimen, Juan Gallardo.
Paleobiology[]
Gallardosaurus was a mid-sized Jurassic pliosaur. It reached lengths of up to 3.5 meters. Typical of pliosaurs, Gallardosaurus had four large paddle-like flipper. Using these flippers simultaneously, it could propel itself through the water, likely at moderate speeds. It is likely that Gallardosaurus had a tail fluke as well. It also had a short neck and strong jaws for hunting and killing prey.
In the 1999 BBC television series Walking with Dinosaurs, a relative of Gallardosaurus, Liopleurodon (oversized in the film) was depicted as an ambush predator, similar to a great white shark. It would wait in the water for prey to swim above it near the surface, and make a sudden burst of speed to grab and kill the prey item. It is possible that Gallardosaurus hunted this way, but on a smaller scale.
The only known specimen of Gallardosaurus was discovered concreted in dark shale rock in the Jagua Formation of Cuba. During the Late Jurassic period, this area would have been a warm, shallow seaway. It is though that Gallardosaurus made seasonal migrations through this seaway. The area at this time would have been populated by species of turtle (e.g., Notoemys oxfordiensis), ichthyosaurs (e.g., , and plesiosaurs.1 Some of these animals could have served as prey for Gallardosaurus. But, its small size and narrow jaws would've been more suited to eating fish, likely.
Gallery[]
References[]
- 1. A New Oxfordian Pliosaurid (Plesiosauria, Pliosauridae) in the Caribbean Seaway
- 2. Gallardosaurus - Wikipedia
- 3. Fossilworks: Gallardosaurus