Dolichosaurus
| Dolichosaurus Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous
| |
|---|---|
| The holotype specimen (NHMUK PV OR 49002) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | †Dolichosauridae |
| Genus: | †Dolichosaurus Owen, 1850 |
| Species | |
| |
Dolichosaurus (meaning "long lizard") is an extinct genus of marine squamate of the Upper Cretaceous Cenomanian chalk deposits of England. It was described and named by Owen in 1850[1]. It is a member of the family Dolichosauridae.[2] It was a small reptile measuring 0.5–1 m (1.6–3.3 ft) long.[3] It had an elongate neck resulting from an increased number of cervical vertebrae.[2]
References
- ^ Owen, Richard (1850). "Description of the fossil reptiles of the Chalk formations". In Dixon, Frederick (ed.). The Geology and Fossils of the Tertiary and Cretaceous Formations of Sussex. pp. 378–400.
- ^ a b Michael W. Caldwell. On the aquatic squamate Dolichosaurus longicollis Owen, 1850 (Cenomanian, Upper Cretaceous), and the evolution of elongate necks in squamates. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20(4):720-735. 2000. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0720:OTASDL]2.0.CO;2
- ^ Bardet, Nathalie (2008). "The Cenomanian-Turonian (late Cretaceous) radiation of marine squamates (Reptilia): the role of the Mediterranean Tethys". Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. 179 (6): 605–623. doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.179.6.605.