The oldest plesiosaur (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) from Antarctica

Antarctic plesiosaurs are known from the Upper Cretaceous López de Bertodano and Snow Hill Island formations (Campanian to upper Maastrichtian), which crop out within the James Ross Basin region of the Antarctic Peninsula. Here we describe the first plesiosaur fossils from the Lachman Crags Member o...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Authors: Kellner, Alexander Wilhelm Armin, Simões, Tiago Rodrigues, Riff, Douglas, Grillo, Orlando, Romano, Pedro, Paula, Helder de, Ramos, Renato, Carvalho, Marcelo, Sayão, Juliana, Oliveira, Gustavo, Rodrigues, Taissa
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2011
Subjects:
James Ross Island
Antarctica
plesiosauria
Late Cretaceous
Museu Nacional
oldest
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Ross Island
Hill Island
Snow Hill Island
Lachman
Lachman Crags
Snow Hill
Antarc*
Polar Research
Online Access:https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/3039
https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7265
Description
Summary:Antarctic plesiosaurs are known from the Upper Cretaceous López de Bertodano and Snow Hill Island formations (Campanian to upper Maastrichtian), which crop out within the James Ross Basin region of the Antarctic Peninsula. Here we describe the first plesiosaur fossils from the Lachman Crags Member of the Santa Marta Formation, north-western James Ross Island. This material constitutes the stratigraphically oldest plesiosaur occurrence presently known from Antarctica, extending the occurrence of plesiosaurians in this continent back to Santonian times (86.3-83.5 Mya). Furthermore, MN 7163-V represents the first plesiosaur from this region not referable to the Elasmosauridae nor Aristonectes, indicating a greater diversity of this group of aquatic reptiles in Antarctica than previously suspected.Keywords: James Ross Island; Antarctica; plesiosauria; Late Cretaceous; Museu Nacional; oldest(Published: 7 June 2011)Citation: Polar Research 2011, 30, 7265, DOI:10.3402/polar.v30i0.7265

Similar Items