Jucha squalea by Val Fisch
Jucha squalea is one of the oldest and basalmost elasmosaurids known and lacks a series of features that otherwise characterize the group, such as the heart-shaped intercoracoid fenestra and the median pectoral bar.
Description[]
This marine reptile belongs to Elasmosauridae. The partial skeleton of a mature individual of Jucha squalea was unearthed in 2007 in the vicinity of the Slantsevy Rudnik village near Ulyanovsk in Eastern Europe. Jucha represents one of the geologically oldest occurrences of elasmosaurids. Jucha marks an early attempt at cervical elongation through differential growth. [1][2]