Liopleurodon

Uncommon card · No. 138689

Liopleurodon (; meaning 'smooth-sided teeth') is an extinct genus of carnivorous pliosaurid plesiosaurs that lived from the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic to the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic period (approximately 166 to 155 million years ago). The type species is L. ferox, which is probably the only valid species. Although some studies still recognize L. pachydeirus, it is generally considered as a junior synonym of the type species due to the lack of a clear diagnosis. Fossils attributed to Liopleurodon, including some skeletons, are mainly known from Europe, with one occurrence reported in Mexico. As the holotype specimen of L. ferox consists of a single tooth with questionable distinguishing features, several recent studies recommend the designation a more complete neotype to preserve its validity. Additional species were proposed, but these are currently viewed as belonging to other pliosaurid genera. Like other plesiosaurs, Liopleurodon has four flippers, a short...

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