#Pliosaurus

[plusie]

🐟 - prehistoric marine animals

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

Result from the Kimmeridge Clay #paleostream!

We were only able to scratch the surface, but I think you get the idea ;)

[bobnichollsart]

Please help save the Sea Rex.

[saritawolff]

Patreon request for rome.and.stuff (Instagram), and my first plesiosaur (well, first since I was like… 10)

Pliosaurus funkei!

Pliosaurs were a family of plesiosaurs that eventually lost their stereotypical long-necked, small-headed body plan. Resembling the mosasaurs that would come much later, pliosaurs had short necks with large, strong jaws, and fed on fish, cephalopods, and marine reptiles. The type genus, Pliosaurus, contains at least 6 species. The first and type species, P. brachydeirus, was described and named by Sir Richard Owen in 1841.

Between 2004 and 2012, a new species of Pliosaurus was in the process of being uncovered. Before it was formally described or even named, news of this giant sea monster escaped into the general media and it was dubbed “Predator X”.

This Predator X prompted a media frenzy… there were articles estimating its size based on the fragments found so far, a 2009 television special on the History channel, and a segment in the 2011 BBC documentary series “Planet Dinosaur.”

Predator X was reportedly the “most fearsome animal ever to swim in the oceans!”

When Pliosaurus funkei was finally formally described and named in 2012, it was found to be a bit smaller than the giant 15 meter long estimate being thrown around. However, it was still a very large animal, around 10–12 m (33–39 ft) long with a 2.0–2.5 m (6.6–8.2 ft) long skull. It also had very long flippers, probably to aid in maneuverability and speed. Analysis of Pliosaurus funkei’s skeleton show that it likely used its front flippers to cruise, only using its back flippers for quick bursts of speed when pursuing prey. Analysis of its brain case shows that its brain was proportional to that of a modern great white shark. So while it didn’t quite beat the Late Cretaceous 12–15.8 meter (39–52 ft) long mosasaur Tylosaurus, the Early Miocene to Late Pliocene 10.5-20.3 meter (34-67 ft) long shark Otodus megalodon, or even the modern day 11-16 meter (36-52 ft) long Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm Whale), it was still no doubt the apex predator of its time and environment.

Pliosaurus funkei lived in the last era of the Late Jurassic in the icy waters of Norway. Found in the Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation, it would have lived in a cold, shallow sea rife with methane seeps. These methane seeps supported a high amount of diversity, and the Slottsmøya was teeming with ammonites, bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods, tubeworms, echinoderms, cold water sponges, and more. Many icthyosaurs and plesiosaurs would have enjoyed feeding on the plentiful invertebrates here, as well as each other. Pliosaurus funkei would have likely fed on other plesiosaurs like Colymbosaurus, Djupedalia, Ophthalmothule, and Spitrasaurus, as well as icthyosaurs like Cryopterygius, Undorosaurus, Arthropterygius, Nannopterygius, and Brachypterygius.

[toaarcan]

WWD's insanely oversized Liopleurodon ferox is infamous, and for good reason, but what doesn't get mentioned nearly as much is the other end of the scale. Ichthyosaurs were a diverse group, but some of the species from the late Triassic and early Jurassic were monstrously huge.

How huge? This huge.

Ichthyotitan is a more recent discovery, known mostly from fragmentary remains, so estimates to its size and weight are based on smaller, more complete relatives (Besanosaurus in this case), but not only show it dwarfing Pliosaurus funkei, the Pliosaur closest to the ridiculous size of WWD's Liopleurodon, but also being bigger than the oversized reconstruction as well.

It's most likely still lighter than the Blue Whale, but finding a larger specimen isn't impossible.

Ichthyotitan probably still wouldn't be dragging any unfortunate Megalosaurs down into the depths with it, though. We're not entirely sure what they ate, many of the largest Ichthyosaurs are reconstructed as being suction-feeders, similar to modern Sperm Whales, but recent finds have suggested that Shonisaurus did in fact have teeth, and big, deeply-rooted conical ones that suggest it was a macropredator, more akin to a giant, oceanic crocodile than a whale.

[roygattero]

Pliosaurus patagonicus

Vector illustration.

Reference: Zuyura (sketchfab)

[cupidenigma]

PREDATOR X

THE LOOMING RAPTOR!

SMILING GATOR!

[michael-rosskothen]

Pliosaur Kronosaurus

[veloci-raptor]

Flocking Together

Cacops

Pliosaurus

Pampaphoneus

[photon-bytez]

Have a pliosaur in these trying times.

[fangtalksdragons]

Results from last nights paleostream

Sleepy Cacops showing its bizarre teeth.

Pliosaurus funkei having fun splashing around .

Pampaphoneus giving a Endothiodon a kiss with its sabers.

Ufudocyclops & Euparkeria.

[thedrawinggizzard]

Disco-keryx and Pliosaurus Funky.

[sapphic-suchoripterus]

Need to draw this Pliosaurus girlie more

she's Cherimoya's prankster cousin who tends to overshare and be a silly goober

[primalbeast99]

Painting practice on a Pliosaurus Kevani

[sealie-seolh]

Reptile, which is somewhat non-specific, so I'll further select Pliosaurus brachydeirus

Random Animal Generator - Perchance

[artificial-ascension]

Pliosaurs and hawks are very similar in that I overall find them pretty mid however, they have one individual (Predator X and Red Tailed Hawk) which I absolutely adore.