Related Topic in KAS Prelims Syllabus:
Science & Technology [Paper-II]: Environmental Science, Biodiversity
News
- Scientists have recently unearthed an extraordinary specimen of pliosaurs in Krzyżanowice, Poland.
- Remains of pliosaurs are rare in Europe.
What is Pliosaur?
- Pliosaurs were a group of large carnivorous marine reptiles characterized by massive heads, short necks, and streamlined tear-shaped bodies.
- They have been found as fossils from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (about 200 million to 65.5 million years ago).
- They are classified in the order Plesiosauria, along with their long-necked relatives, the plesiosaurs.
- Pliosaurs possessed powerful jaws and large teeth, and they used four large fins to swim through Mesozoic seas.
- They were the largest aquatic carnivorous reptiles that have ever lived, often dubbed as “sea monsters”.
