References
Reference
Fostowicz-Frelik, Lucja and Gazdicki, Andrzej (2001) Anatomy and histology of plesiosaur bones from the Late Cretaceous of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula.; palaeontologia polonica, 60, pp.7-32
Anatomy and histology of plesiosaur bones from the Late Cretaceous of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula.
Principal Author
Lucja Fostowicz-Frelik
Other Authors
Andrzej Gazdicki
Header
Academic paper
Journal
palaeontologia polonica
Publisher
In: A. Gazdzicki (ed.), Palaeontological Results of the Polish Antarctic Expeditions. Part III.
Volume
60
Pages
7-32
Abstract
Remains of elasmosaurid plesiosaur have been collected from the lower part of the Late Cretaceous Lopez de Bertodano Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica. This well preserved bone material includes pectoral, dorsal, and caudal vertebral centra, femur, tibia, and fragments of the humerus, scapula, and ischia, that most probably belong to the one specimen. The microstructure of the bone tissue show rather dense structure with Haversian remodelling well underway and the areas of intensive growth, suggesting subadult stage of ontogeny. The dense pachyostotic character of the rib and girdle tissue, together with a relative small size of the bones (approximated length of the animal about two meters) may indicate that described material belongs to the not fully grown elasmosaur, which may have lived in shallow water environment. The studied remains share some similarities with those of Mauisaurus from the Maastrichtian of New Zealand - in the articular surface of the vertebral centra and the shape of the tibia.
Keywords
Plesiosauria, bone histology, L6pez de Bertodano Formation, Campanian-
Maastrichtian, Seymour Island, Antarctica.
Maastrichtian, Seymour Island, Antarctica.
Language
English