12.8" Polycotylid Plesiosaur Vertebrae Fossil In Situ Cretaceous Dinosaur Age COA
Location: Goulmima, Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Weight: 8 Pound 13.4 Ounces
Dimensions: 12.8 Inches Long, 6.9 Inches Wide, 3 Inches Thick (Matrix)
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This is a Genuine Fossil
Cretaceous Age 100 Million Years Old.
Polycotylid plesiosaurs are a fascinating group of marine reptiles that lived during the Cretaceous period, around 100-65 million years ago. These creatures were characterized by their long, slender necks and tails, and their distinctive double-hinged jaws.
In Morocco, there have been several discoveries of polycotylid plesiosaur fossils, including the holotype specimen of the species Plesiosaurus moroccensis. This species was described in a 2013 paper by Oussedik et al. in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
One of the most interesting aspects of polycotylid plesiosaurs is their unique dental anatomy. Unlike other plesiosaurs, which have a single row of teeth on each jaw, polycotylids have two rows of teeth, with the upper row being more developed than the lower row. This unique dental anatomy suggests that polycotylids may have had a different feeding strategy than other plesiosaurs.
In addition to Plesiosaurus moroccensis, other polycotylid plesiosaurs found in Morocco include the species P. cedrimani and P. fraasii. These species were described in a 2017 paper by Sweet et al. in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.