Attenborosaurus
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]
| Attenborosaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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) | |
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
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]