The oldest plesiosaur (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) from Antarctica

  • Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner
  • Tiago Rodrigues Simões Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
  • Douglas Riff
  • Orlando Grillo
  • Pedro Romano
  • Helder de Paula
  • Renato Ramos
  • Marcelo Carvalho
  • Juliana Sayão
  • Gustavo Oliveira
  • Taissa Rodrigues
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7265
Keywords: James Ross Island, Antarctica, plesiosauria, Late Cretaceous, Museu Nacional, oldest

Abstract

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

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Published
2011-06-07
How to Cite
Kellner A. W. A., Simões T. R., Riff D., Grillo O., Romano P., Paula H. de, Ramos R., Carvalho M., Sayão J., Oliveira G., & Rodrigues T. (2011). The oldest plesiosaur (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) from Antarctica. Polar Research. https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7265
Issue
Vol 30 (2011)
Section
Research/review articles

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