Here now my complete post on Balaenognathus maeuseri, a new ctenochasmid from Wattendorf, the northern-most Plattenkalk deposit. It was a bizarre creature and is known from a fantastic specimen.
Most notable are the salad tong like jaws that where toothless at the front and had hundreds of fine teeth on the side. These teeth had little nobs and hooks and the palate wore a large crest, as deep as the lower jaw. Because of these nobs and their straight downward position of the teeth, the animal wasn't even able to fully close it's jaws. In addition the large depressor muscle attachment and robust hyoids are notable. The animal has also long limbs, perfect for wading in shallow water. Overall characters of a specialized filter feeder
Balaeonognathus lived in a environment quite similar to the Solnhofen archipelago, although the fauna differed slightly. We have for example here the largest known marine turtle of the Jurassic (Thalassmeys).
Balaenognathus reached a wingspan a little over one meter and is so specialized that it might have been endemic to Wattendorf. The locality is still rather fresh and there are tons of new taxa to be described. Especially turtles are diverse but also many large fish and rynchocephalians are waiting to get their scientific spotlight
