#polycotylus

[earlypalaeoart]

"The sea which once covered the plains"

1. Elasmosaurus platyurus 2. Liodon [Tylosaurus] proriger 3., 4., 5. Ornithochirus [Ornithocherius] umbrosus 6. Ornithochirus [Ornithocherius] harpyia 7. Protostiga [Protostega] gigas 8. Polycotylus latipinnis

From Buffalo land; an authentic account of the discoveries, adventures, and mishaps of a scientific and sporting party in the Wild West by William Edward Webb, 1872

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/18649

[cryptidchronicles]

Bones show ancient marine reptile was a big baby

A new study of a rare baby plesiosaur reveals that these marine reptiles were huge at birth, then continued to grow speedily.

Instead of laying eggs like other reptiles, a mother Polycotylus gave birth to a single, large offspring. Here, an artist imagines what that looked like.Stephanie Abramowicz/NHMLA Unlike some better-known long-necked plesiosaurs like Plesiosaurus and Elasmosaurus, Polycotylus had a short neck. This led to it being classified as a pliosaur, a marine reptile within the superfamily Pliosauroidea, closely related to true plesiosaurs (which belong to the superfamily Plesiosauroidea). Polycotylus and other polycotylids superficially resemble pliosaurs like Liopleurodon and Peloneustes because they have short necks, large heads, and other proportions that differ from true plesiosaurs. As phylogenetic analyses became common in the last few decades, the classification of Polycotylus and other plesiosaurs have been revised. In 1997, it and other polycotylids were reassigned as close relatives of long-necked elasmosaurids. In a 2001 study, Polycotylus was classified as a derived cryptocleidoid plesiosaur closely related to Jurassic plesiosaurs like Cryptocleidus. Viviparity, or live birth, may have been the most common form of reproduction in plesiosaurs, as they would have had difficulty laying eggs on land. Their bodies are not adapted to movement on land, and paleontologists have long hypothesized that they must have given birth in water.

[otussketching]

Some cave painting-inspired drawings of Cretaceous reptiles! The idea behind these was basically thinking: how sapient beings would view and depict the animals living alongside them? More may come in the future.

These are actually drums used by the Tribes to contact spirits, with each animal representing its spiritual being. For example, the turtle is the spirit of fertility and wellbeing, while the Azhdarchid pterosaur is the spirit of change. Drums vary between tribes, as some worship some spirits more than others.

Note: species are in tags.

[otussketching]

Just a big old dump of Cretaceous reptiles. The lines were done in ink and the colors are color pencils.

It was kind of fun to color the drawings because I'm used to pencil, but it turned out okay.

Note: species are in the tags. Also, some will appear in the Saurian Coast too.

[amorousdino]

Look what came from the land down under. #book #marinereptile #pliosaur #plesiosaur #Polycotylus #australia #museumvictoria #naturalhistory #paleontology #paleoart #science #sciencebook

[cmkosemenillustrated]

The swimming reptile Polycotylus, viewed from the top. New discoveries indicate these prehistoric marine reptiles were quite chunky - more like seals and walruses than snakes or crocodiles. Polycotylus was a distant relative of the enormous Kronosaurus.

www.cmkosemen.com