Pleurosauridae

Pleurosaurids Temporal range: Early Jurassic - Late Jurassic, 183–150.8 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil of Palaeopleurosaurus
Fossil of Pleurosaurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Rhynchocephalia
Suborder:	Sphenodontia
Family:	†Pleurosauridae Lydekker, 1888
Genera
†Palaeopleurosaurus †Pleurosaurus †?Vadasaurus

Pleurosauridae is an extinct family of sphenodontian reptiles, known from the Jurassic of Europe. Members of the family had long-snake like bodies with reduced limbs that were adapted for aquatic life in marine environments. It contains two genera, Palaeopleurosaurus, which is known from the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) Posidonia Shale of Germany, as well as Pleurosaurus from the Late Jurassic of Germany and France. Paleopleurosaurus is more primitive than the later Pleurosaurus, with a skull similar to those of other sphenodontians, while that of Pleurosaurus is highly modified relative to other sphendontians. They likely swam via anguilliform locomotion.^[1]

References[]

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