| Rarosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | †Plesiosauria(?) |
| Family: | †Polycotylidae(?) |
| Genus: | †Rarosaurus Kaddumi, 2009 |
| Species: | †R. singularis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Rarosaurus singularis Kaddumi, 2009 | |
Rarosaurus is an extinct genus of marine reptile from the Late Cretaceous period that lived in what is now Jordan. Although it was originally classified as a polycotylid (short necked plesiosaurs that are related to elasmosaurs), recent studies have suggested that it is actually a marine crocodylomorph.
Discovery and Naming[]
The holotype, a partial skull, was first discovered in 2006 in the country Jordan, located in the Middle East[1]. 3 years later the genus was scientifically described as the type and only species Rarosaurus singularis. The genus name means "rare lizard" and its specific name refers to it as singular as it is the only plesiosaur known from the area[2]. It remained classified as a plesiosaur for around 15 years until 2024 when a study suggested that it was not a plesiosaur as previously believed but a crocodylomorph[3].
Description[]
Rarosaurus was a relatively small animal, measuring only about 10 feet in length.
- ↑ https://doc.rero.ch/record/16350/files/PAL_E2781.pdf
- ↑ Kaddumi, H.F. (2009). "On the remains of the first plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from Harrana with a description of a new genus and species of Polycotylidae". Fossils of the Harrana Fauna and the Adjacent Areas. Eternal River Museum of Natural History. pp. 158–162.
- ↑ https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195667124000442