| Peloneustes | |
|---|---|
| |
| Restoration | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | †Plesiosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pliosauriodea |
| Family: | †Pliosauridae |
| Genus: | †Peloneustes Lydekker, 1869 |
| Type species | |
| †Peloneustes philarchus Seeley, 1869 | |
| Other species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Peloneustes philarchus is a pliosaur named in 1869 (1888) from fossil specimens found in Middle Jurassic strata of France, England and Germany.[1] It was one of the smallest known pliosaurs, making it more streamlined and agile so it could easily catch its prey, which consisted of belemnites and ammonites.[2]
One specimen, informally known as BMNH R2439 (known from a mandible, teeth, paddlebones, ribs and vertebrae), was originally thought to have been a separate pliosaur genus, but now most paleontologists classify BMNH R2439 as a new species of Peloneustes.[3]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ R. Lydekker. 1889. On the remains and affinities of five genera of Mesozoic reptiles. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 45:41-59
- ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 76. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- ↑ http://www.paleofile.com/Sauropterygia/Peloneustus.asp