Early Jurassic plesiosaurs from Australia

Remains of plesiosaurs (aquatic reptiles of the suborder Plesiosauria, order Sauropterygia) are known from Cretaceous sediments in every continent , including Antarctica. Jurassic plesiosaurs, by contrast, seem to have had a more restricted distribution, and are virtually unknown outside the Norther...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature
Main Authors: Thulborn R.A., Warren A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 1980
Subjects:
Online Access:https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:681630
Description
Summary:Remains of plesiosaurs (aquatic reptiles of the suborder Plesiosauria, order Sauropterygia) are known from Cretaceous sediments in every continent , including Antarctica. Jurassic plesiosaurs, by contrast, seem to have had a more restricted distribution, and are virtually unknown outside the Northern Hemisphere. We report here the discovery of two plesiosaur specimens in the Lower Jurassic of the eastern part of the Surat Basin, Queensland. These are the earliest adequate examples of plesiosaurs to be discovered in the Gondwana continents, and they greatly extend the known geographical range of early sauropterygians.