Libonectes: Difference between revisions
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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The animal was very similar to the related ''[[Thalassomedon]]'', though the structure of the neck vertebrae were different, with taller neural spines and longer supporting processes of the bone, and its nostrils were slightly closer to the tip of the skull. The skull of the [[type specimen]], which also contains the {{convert|5.06|m}} neck<ref name="gorman2016">{{cite journal | first1 = J.P. | last1 = O'Gorman | title = A Small Body Sized Non-Aristonectine Elasmosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia with Comments on the Relationships of the Patagonian and Antarctic Elasmosaurids | journal = Ameghiniana | volume = 53 | issue = 3 | pages = 245–268 | doi = 10.5710/AMGH.29.11.2015.2928 | year = 2016| s2cid = 133139689 | url = http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/108247 }}</ref> and [[gastrolith]]s, is the best preserved elasmosaurid skull known. A shoulder girdle and flipper were also found but were apparently discarded at some point in the past.<ref name=carpenter1999>Carpenter, K. (1999). "Revision of North American elasmosaurs from the Cretaceous of the western interior." ''Paludicola'', '''2'''(2): 148-173.</ref> |
''Libonectes'' was a medium-sized plesiosaur, measuring {{convert|7.2|-|9|m|ft}} long and weighing {{convert|1.8|MT|ST}}.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Valentin Fischer |author2=Nikolay G. Zverkov |author3=Maxim S. Arkhangelsky |author4=Ilya M. Stenshin |author5=Ivan V. Blagovetshensky |author6=Gleb N. Uspensky |year=2020 |title=A new elasmosaurid plesiosaurian from the Early Cretaceous of Russia marks an early attempt at neck elongation |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=192 |issue=4 |pages=1167–1194 |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa103 |hdl=2268/251614 |url=https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/251614 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Paul|first=Gregory S.|year=2022|title=The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles|pages=114|doi=10.1515/9780691241456|isbn=9780691193809|s2cid=251553177|publisher=Princeton University Press}}</ref> The animal was very similar to the related ''[[Thalassomedon]]'', though the structure of the neck vertebrae were different, with taller neural spines and longer supporting processes of the bone, and its nostrils were slightly closer to the tip of the skull. The skull of the [[type specimen]], which also contains the {{convert|5.06|m}} neck<ref name="gorman2016">{{cite journal | first1 = J.P. | last1 = O'Gorman | title = A Small Body Sized Non-Aristonectine Elasmosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia with Comments on the Relationships of the Patagonian and Antarctic Elasmosaurids | journal = Ameghiniana | volume = 53 | issue = 3 | pages = 245–268 | doi = 10.5710/AMGH.29.11.2015.2928 | year = 2016| s2cid = 133139689 | url = http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/108247 }}</ref> and [[gastrolith]]s, is the best preserved elasmosaurid skull known. A shoulder girdle and flipper were also found but were apparently discarded at some point in the past.<ref name=carpenter1999>Carpenter, K. (1999). "Revision of North American elasmosaurs from the Cretaceous of the western interior." ''Paludicola'', '''2'''(2): 148-173.</ref> |
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The specimen was originally named ''Elasmosaurus morgani'' by Welles in 1949, but it was reclassified to its own genus by Carpenter in 1997.<ref name=carpenter1999/> A second species, ''L. atlasense'', was named in 2005 from deposits in [[Morocco]], but a 2017 redescription of the material recognized it as a junior synonym of ''L. morgani''.<ref name="atlas2017">{{cite journal | last1 = Sachs | first1 = S. | last2 = Kear | first2 = B.P. | title = Redescription of the elasmosaurid plesiosaurian ''Libonectes atlasense'' from the Upper Cretaceous of Morocco | journal = Cretaceous Research | volume = 74 | pages = 205–222 | date = 2017 | doi = 10.1016/j.cretres.2017.02.017 }}</ref> |
The specimen was originally named ''Elasmosaurus morgani'' by Welles in 1949, but it was reclassified to its own genus by Carpenter in 1997.<ref name=carpenter1999/> A second species, ''L. atlasense'', was named in 2005 from deposits in [[Morocco]], but a 2017 redescription of the material recognized it as a junior synonym of ''L. morgani''.<ref name="atlas2017">{{cite journal | last1 = Sachs | first1 = S. | last2 = Kear | first2 = B.P. | title = Redescription of the elasmosaurid plesiosaurian ''Libonectes atlasense'' from the Upper Cretaceous of Morocco | journal = Cretaceous Research | volume = 74 | pages = 205–222 | date = 2017 | doi = 10.1016/j.cretres.2017.02.017 }}</ref> |
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Revision as of 10:58, 17 January 2023
| Libonectes Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
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|---|---|
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| Skull SMNK PAL 3978 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
| Order: | †Plesiosauria |
| Family: | †Elasmosauridae |
| Genus: | †Libonectes Carpenter, 1997 |
| Species: | †L. morgani
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| Binomial name | |
| †Libonectes morgani (Welles, 1949)
[originally Elasmosaurus] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Libonectes is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile belonging to the plesiosaur order. It is known from specimens found in the Britton Formation of Texas (USA) and the Akrabou Formation of Morocco, which have been dated to the lower Turonian stage of the late Cretaceous period.[1]
Nomenclature
The prefix "libo" comes from Greek, and means "southern," translated to English. "Nectes," the suffix, is also from Greek, and translates to "swimmer." In its entirety, Libonectes can be interpreted as "southern swimmer."[2] Libonectes was an elasmosaurid plesiosaur, with many specimens unearthed in southern parts of North America[3]- as a result, it was labeled with such a name as described in the preceding sentence. C.G. Morgan is credited with the discovery of the first Libonectes fossils, and it was for this reason that morgani was chosen as its binomial name.[4]
Description
Libonectes was a medium-sized plesiosaur, measuring 7.2–9 metres (24–30 ft) long and weighing 1.8 metric tons (2.0 short tons).[5][6] The animal was very similar to the related Thalassomedon, though the structure of the neck vertebrae were different, with taller neural spines and longer supporting processes of the bone, and its nostrils were slightly closer to the tip of the skull. The skull of the type specimen, which also contains the 5.06 metres (16.6 ft) neck[7] and gastroliths, is the best preserved elasmosaurid skull known. A shoulder girdle and flipper were also found but were apparently discarded at some point in the past.[1]
The specimen was originally named Elasmosaurus morgani by Welles in 1949, but it was reclassified to its own genus by Carpenter in 1997.[1] A second species, L. atlasense, was named in 2005 from deposits in Morocco, but a 2017 redescription of the material recognized it as a junior synonym of L. morgani.[8]
Feeding Habits
The possible carnivorous nature of Libonectes is suggested by its dental layout, however, the presence of gastroliths inside some known fossils feasibly indicates an omnivorous lifestyle (though paleontological investigation notes that plesiosaurs may have used gastroliths in buoyancy control[9]). The presence of these gastroliths could also point to the possibility that Libonectes swallowed prey items whole. Libonectes most likely hunted in deep waters, perhaps eating small fish and ammonites, as it is thought that its bulk prevented the creature from frequenting shallow waters.[10] This reptile is also suspected to have used its large size to trap prey, as a result of its slow swimming speed.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Carpenter, K. (1999). "Revision of North American elasmosaurs from the Cretaceous of the western interior." Paludicola, 2(2): 148-173.
- ^ "Libonectes dinosaur". www.dinosaurfact.net. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
- ^ "Libonectes morgani". Sachs Vertebrate Palaeontology. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
- ^ Welles, Samuel (1949). "A new elasmosaur from the Eagle Ford Shale of Texas" (PDF). Fondren Science Series.
- ^ Valentin Fischer; Nikolay G. Zverkov; Maxim S. Arkhangelsky; Ilya M. Stenshin; Ivan V. Blagovetshensky; Gleb N. Uspensky (2020). "A new elasmosaurid plesiosaurian from the Early Cretaceous of Russia marks an early attempt at neck elongation". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 192 (4): 1167–1194. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa103. hdl:2268/251614.
- ^ Paul, Gregory S. (2022). The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles. Princeton University Press. p. 114. doi:10.1515/9780691241456. ISBN 9780691193809. S2CID 251553177.
- ^ O'Gorman, J.P. (2016). "A Small Body Sized Non-Aristonectine Elasmosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia with Comments on the Relationships of the Patagonian and Antarctic Elasmosaurids". Ameghiniana. 53 (3): 245–268. doi:10.5710/AMGH.29.11.2015.2928. S2CID 133139689.
- ^ Sachs, S.; Kear, B.P. (2017). "Redescription of the elasmosaurid plesiosaurian Libonectes atlasense from the Upper Cretaceous of Morocco". Cretaceous Research. 74: 205–222. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.02.017.
- ^ "Diet and senses". Plesiosaur Directory. 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
- ^ Araújo, Ricardo; Polcyn, Michael J. (2013-04-22). "A biomechanical analysis of the skull and adductor chamber muscles in the Late Cretaceous Plesiosaur Libonectes". Palaeontologia Electronica. 16 (2): 1–25. doi:10.26879/287. ISSN 1094-8074.
External links
- Libonectes morgani. Sachs Vertebrate Palaeontology Research.
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