#rhomaleosaurid

[actual-haise]

A scene from the Posidonia Shale (Holzmaden, Germany, ~180mya) featuring a wide variety of life.

[tepuitrouble]

"Rhomaleosaurus (meaning "strong lizard") is an extinct genus of Early Jurassic (Toarcian age, about 183 to 175.6 million years ago) rhomaleosaurid pliosauroid known from Northamptonshire and from Yorkshire of the United Kingdom. It was first named by Harry Seeley in 1874 and the type species is Rhomaleosaurus cramptoni. It was one of the earliest large marine reptile predators which hunted in the seas of Mesozoic era. Its length was about 7 m (23 ft) long. Like other pliosaurs, Rhomaleosaurus fed on ichthyosaurs, ammonites and other plesiosaurs. " -wikipedia

A statue I made in Blender. Prints good in resin, but FDM printers should orient it so the head is parallel to the build plate - you'll save a lot of supports. it's available for free on my accounts https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5226976 and https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/art/rhomaleosaurus-pliosaur-statue

[ancientmarinereptiles]

Eurycleidus arcuatus

Art by: Adam S. Smith

Name: Eurycleidus arcuatus

Name Meaning: ‬Wide clavicle

First Described: 1922

Described By: Andrews

Classification: Chordata, Tetrapoda, Reptilia, ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria, Pliosauroidea, ‬Rhomaleosauridae

Eurycleidus was a primitive rhomaleosaurid that existed during the Early Jurassic and was discovered in the United Kingdom. This marine reptile had big shoulders which we can infer that it was a quick swimmer. The agility of Eurycleidus probably was helpful when taking down fish or other kinds of prey in the Jurassic seas.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurycleidus

[ancientmarinereptiles]

Yuzhoupliosaurus ‬chengjiangensis‭

Art by: @artbyconnorross, Connor Ross, https://www.deviantart.com/rajaharimau98/art/Jurassic-January-18-Swimming-726296044

Name: Yuzhoupliosaurus ‬chengjiangensis‭

Name Meaning: ‬Yuzhou Pliosaurus

First Described: 1985

Described By: Zhang

Classification: Chordata, Tetrapoda, Reptilia, ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria, ‬Rhomaleosauridae

Yuzhoupliosaurus ‬was a Rhomaleosaurid that was discovered in China. This marine reptile dates all the way back to the Middle Jurassic, and we currently have the mandible (lower jaw), few vertebrae, and parts of its pectoral girdle. It’s estimated to have been 13 feet (4 meters) in length. What’s really interesting, is that Yuzhoupliosaurus is currently hypothesized to have lived in a fresh marine ecosystem.

Sources:

http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/y/yuzhoupliosaurus.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzhoupliosaurus

[ancientmarinereptiles]

Avalonnectes arturi

Photo by Roger B. J. Benson, Mark Evans, and Patrick S. Druckenmiller [CC BY 2.5  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Name: Avalonnectes arturi

Name Meaning: ‬Avalon swimmer

First Described: 2012

Described By: Benson, Evans, & Druckenmiller

Classification: Chordata, Tetrapoda, Reptilia, ‬Sauropterygia,‭ ‬Plesiosauria,‭ ‬‬Rhomaleosauridae

Avalonnectes lived during the Early Jurassic and was discovered in the Blue Lias Formation in England and it is a basal Rhomaleosaurid. The postcranial portion of the body is almost complete for this found specimen, with the exception of missing head, limbs, and part of the tail.

Sources:

http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/a/avalonnectes.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalonnectes