Fossilization of a 150-year-old Fossil from the Canadian Arctic
The thrilling discovery of a new marine reptile species is not something that happens every day. Now that a team of researchers has announced the discovery of a new species of plesiosaur, we can add a new name to the list of extinct creatures that once roamed the earth.
The newly named creature, Plesiopleurodon wellesi, lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 145 million years ago.
Plesiosaurs are a group of marine reptiles that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. They were large, reptilian creatures with long necks and tails. Plesiosaurs had two main types of teeth: a crescent-shaped tooth you can easily spot on the front of their jaws and a triangular tooth found on the back of their throats.
Plesiopleurodon wellesi is a fascinating creature because it has several features that are unique to plesiosaurs. For example, this species has a bony ridge running along the centre of its skull. Plesiosaurs used this ridge to better control their head and neck movements.
The discovery of Plesiopleurodon wellesi is an essential step in understanding the diversity of marine reptiles during the Late Cretaceous period. It also provides us with new information about how plesiosaurs had once interacted with their environment.
