Fóssil de plesiossauro do Jurássico Inferior (125 milhões de anos atrás) com preservação de tecido mole

segunda-feira, junho 05, 2017

The Science of Nature

June 2017, 104:51

New insights on the systematics, palaeoecology and palaeobiology of a plesiosaurian with soft tissue preservation from the Toarcian of Holzmaden, Germany

Authors

Authors and affiliations

Peggy Vincent Email author Rémi Allemand Paul D. Taylor Guillaume Suan Erin E. Maxwell

Original Paper

First Online: 03 June 2017


Cite this article as:

Vincent, P., Allemand, R., Taylor, P.D. et al. Sci Nat (2017) 104: 51. doi:10.1007/s00114-017-1472-6

A fossil specimen of Thalassiodracon hawkinsi, a carnivorous marine reptile, showing its flippers and long neck - Source/Fonte: Natural History Museum


Abstract

The Posidonienschiefer Formation (Toarcian) of Holzmaden, Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany has yielded several excellently preserved plesiosaurian specimens and received considerable research attention. The plesiosaurians found within these deposits are always significantly outnumbered by ichthyosaurs, and close examination of these rare specimens is crucial to a better understanding of the diversity and palaeoecology of Plesiosauria in this very peculiar ecosystem. The plesiosaurian specimen SMNS 51945 found in this area is a juvenile individual consisting of a partial, crushed skull and an exquisitely preserved post-cranial skeleton. Its anatomical characters seem to differ from the long-necked plesiosauroids Microcleidus brachypterygius and Seeleyosaurus guilelmiimperatoris that are the most abundant taxa within the plesiosaurian assemblage. The post-cranial skeleton preserves very likely soft tissues composed of buff-coloured and dark-coloured structures around the vertebral column and hindlimb of the animal. A network of buff-coloured fibres located posterior to the hindlimb most likely represents phosphatised collagen fibres as already found in some ichthyosaur specimens, confirming that wing area in plesiosaurians was much larger than that suggested by skeletal remains alone. The specimen also contains gastroliths (sand-sized grains mainly composed of quartz) in the stomach cavity suggesting the animal spent at least some of its time in shallow coastal waters, tens or hundreds of kilometres from the final place of burial.

Keywords

Germany Holzmaden Lower Jurassic Plesiosauria Soft tissues 

Communicated by: Sven Thatje

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