#plesiopterys

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

BIG PLESIOSAUR NEWS I'm delighted to finally reveal the illustration I produced for the paper "Skin, scales, and cells in a Jurassic plesiosaur"!

While already excavated in 1940 this specimen was only really prepared in 2020 and new analysis methods revealed a wealth of details, many unseen until now.

Some of the coolest finds are thickened skin folds, remands of a possible tail fluke and scales on the paddles.

Beyond these superficial elements these specimen also has cellular details preserved. Among them melanophore traces hinting at the pigmentation of the animal.

You can read more about it in the publication! Also, stay tuned for more stuff regarding fossils from Holzmaden!

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00001-6