Portal:Sauropterygians

The Sauropterygians Portal Artist's restoration of the sauropterygian Plesiosaurus Sauropterygia ("lizard flippers") is an extinct, diverse taxon of aquatic reptiles that developed from terrestrial ancestors soon after the end-Permian extinction and flourished during the Mesozoic before they became extinct at the end of that era. Sauropterygians are united by a radical adaptation of their pectoral girdle, designed to support powerful flipper strokes. Some later sauropterygians, such as the pliosaurs, developed a similar mechanism in their pelvis. (see more...) The Plesiosaurus sculpture from the "Dinosaur" Court The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, also known as Dinosaur Court, are a series of sculptures of extinct animals (including dinosaurs) and mammals in Crystal Palace Park, now in the London borough of Bromley. Commissioned in 1852 to accompany the Crystal Palace after its move from the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park and unveiled in 1854, they were the first dinosaur sculptures in the world, pre-dating the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species by six years. While to varying degrees inaccurate by modern standards, the models were designed and sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins under the scientific direction of Sir Richard Owen, representing the latest scientific knowledge at the time. The models were classed as Grade II listed buildings from 1973, extensively restored in 2002, and upgraded to Grade I listed in 2007. The models represent fifteen genera of extinct animals, not all dinosaurs. They are from a wide range of geological ages, and include true dinosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and plesiosaurs mainly from the Mesozoic era, and some mammals from the more recent Cenozoic era. (see more...) ► Sauropterygia no subcategories ...that Mauisaurus was the largest plesiosaur to roam New Zealand waters and that it gets its name from the Māori god Maui? ...that unlike most plesiosaurs, Leptocleidus once lived in shallow lagoon environments and likely visited brackish and fresh water systems such as the mouths of rivers? ... that Dactylosaurus lived in the Middle Triassic period during the Anisian faunal stage of central Europe? ...that Terminonatator ponteixensis is the type and only species described for Terminonatator, a genus of elasmosaurid plesiosaur from Late Cretaceous of Saskatchewan, Canada? ...that the first Styxosaurus fossil to be discovered had about 250 stones in its stomach that it probably swallowed for ballast? 90px Paleontology Extinct and Endangered Species Mesozoic Ichthyosauromorphs 90px Mosasaurs Dinosaurs Ammonoids Belemnoids What are portals? List of portals Featured portals