Early Jurassic plesiosaurs from Australia

• Published in: Nature
• Main Authors: Thulborn R.A., Warren A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Nature 1980
• Subjects: Multidisciplinary; 1000 General; 2700 Medicine; Queensland; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:681630

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.