Sachicasaurus Explained

Sachicasaurus is an extinct genus of brachauchenine pliosaurid known from the Barremian of the Paja Formation, Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the Colombian Eastern Ranges of the Andes. The type species is S. vitae.

Etymology

The genus name Sachicasaurus refers to Sáchica, the location where the fossil was found, and saurus, meaning "lizard" in Latinised Greek. The species epithet vitae, meaning "of life" in Latin, was chosen because of the life in Sáchica the fossil find has sparked.[1]

Description

Sachicasaurus was a large pliosaur, with the type specimen measuring approximately 10m (30feet) long and weighing 17MT.[1] [2] The holotype specimen, MP111209-1, was found in 2013 and is known from a near complete skull, and postcranial elements including a complete hindlimb and various vertebrae. Diagnostic features include a very short mandibular symphysis, reduced number of mandibular teeth (17 to 18 versus 25 to 40 in other pliosaurids), slender teeth, among other features. With a preserved length of 9.9m (32.5feet) (which may be missing the vertebrae from the end of the tail), the specimen is interpreted as a sub-adult individual.[1] It is one of the largest and most complete pliosaurid specimens.[3]

Paleoenvironment

Sachicasaurus is one of four pliosaurids from the Paja Formation, others being Acostasaurus,[4] Stenorhynchosaurus,[5] and Monquirasaurus.[6] It is also contemporaneous with the elasmosaurids Callawayasaurus and Leivanectes,[7] the marine turtle Desmatochelys padillai,[8] the sandowniid turtle Leyvachelys,[9] and the ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs Muiscasaurus and Kyhytysuka.[10] [11]

References

Bibliography

Sachicasaurus
Other paleofauna

External links

Notes and References

  1. Páramo Fonseca . María Eurídice . Benavides Cabra . Cristian David . Gutiérrez . Ingry Esmirna . 2018 . A new large pliosaurid from the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of Sáchica, Boyacá, Colombia . . 22 . 4 . 223–238 . 10.15446/esrj.v22n4.69916. 135054193 . María Páramo . free .
  2. Zhao. R.J.. 2024. Body reconstruction and size estimation of plesiosaurs. 10.1101/2024.02.15.578844.
  3. N. G. Zverkov, E. M. Pervushov. 2020. A gigantic pliosaurid from the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Volga Region, Russia. Cretaceous Research. 110. 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104419. 2020CrRes.11004419Z .
  4. Gómez Pérez & Noè, 2017
  5. Páramo et al., 2016
  6. Noè. L.F.. Gómez-Pérez. M.. 2021. Giant pliosaurids (Sauropterygia; Plesiosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous peri-Gondwanan seas of Colombia and Australia. Cretaceous Research. 132. 105122. 10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105122.
  7. Páramo Fonseca et al., 2019
  8. Cadena et al., 2015a
  9. Cadena et al., 2015b
  10. Maxwell et al., 2015
  11. Cortés . D. . Maxwell . E.E. . Larsson . H.C.E. . 2021 . Re-appearance of hypercarnivore ichthyosaurs in the Cretaceous with differentiated dentition: revision of Platypterygius sachicarum (Reptilia:Ichthyosauria, Ophthalmosauridae) from Colombia . Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19 . 14 . 969–1002 . 10.1080/14772019.2021.1989507. 2021JSPal..19..969C . 244512087 .

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