Marine Reptiles of the Past

[epaiva]

Liopleurodon, is a genus of large, carnivorous marine reptile belonging to the Pliosauroidea, a clade of short-necked plesiosaurs. The two species of Liopleurodon lived during the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic Period (c. 160 to 155 mya). It was the apex predator of the Middle to Late Jurassic seas that covered Europe. The largest species, L. ferox, is estimated to have grown up to 6.39 metres (21.0 ft) in length.
Liopleurodon fossils have been found mainly in England and France, with one younger species known from Russia. Fossil specimens that are contemporary (Callovian) with those from England and France referrable to Liopleurodon are known from Germany.
Currently, there are two recognized species within Liopleurodon. From the Callovian of England and France L. ferox is well known; while also from the Callovian of England is the rarer L. pachydeirus, described by Seeley as a Pliosaurus (1869). Only L. ferox is known from more or less complete skeletons.
Liopleurodon ferox first came to the public attention in 1999 when it was featured in an episode of the BBC television series Walking with Dinosaurs, which depicted it as an enormous 25 m (82 ft) long predator; this was based on very fragmentary remains, for the sake of being more 'spectacular' to television audiences, and considered to be an exaggeration for Liopleurodon, with the calculations of 20-metre specimens generally considered dubious. The error persisted in the 2003 spin-off Sea Monsters. However, new research and the finding of a complete skeleton of L. ferox show that their skulls were actually about one-fifth of their total body length, which suggests a maximum known total body length of 6.39 m (21.0 ft) based on NHM R3536, the largest known skull at 1.26 m (4.1 ft) in condylobasal length (1.54 m (5.1 ft) in overall length. Credit of the paint to @prehistoricpast

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

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