Attenborosaurus

Attenborosaurus; Temporal range: Early Jurassic, 196.5–189.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Cast of the holotype fossil, Natural History Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	†Sauropterygia
Order:	†Plesiosauria
Family:	†Pliosauridae
Genus:	†Attenborosaurus; Bakker, 1993
Species:	†A. conybeari
Binomial name
	†Attenborosaurus conybeari; (Sollas, 1881)

Attenborosaurus is an extinct genus of pliosaurid from the Early Jurassic of Dorset, England. The type species is A. conybeari. The genus is named after David Attenborough, the species after William Conybeare.[1]

History

The original remains were found in Dorset, England and were destroyed during World War II, leaving only plaster casts of the remains to be studied. At first the animal was thought to be another Plesiosaurus species but after studies on the plaster casts made after the remains, it was assigned to a new genus.

Description

Life restoration with Asteroceras

Judging by the holotype, which is the partial remains of one single specimen, the size of the creature was 5 meters (16 ft), and much like its plesiosaur cousins, it was piscivorous. From the skin impression found with the bones, which was later destroyed, it is presumed that the creature had membranous skin, devoid of any significantly large scale, probably for decreasing water resistance.

Classification

The following cladogram follows an analysis by Benson & Druckenmiller (2014).[2]

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