Cryptoclididae

Cryptoclididae
Cryptoclididae
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic - Late Cretaceous
Muraenosaurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Plesiosauria
Suborder: Plesiosauroidea
Family: Cryptoclididae
Williston, 1925
Genera
Synonyms
  •  ?Aristonectidae

Cryptoclididae is a family of medium-sized plesiosaurs that lived from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous. In 2010, Kaiwhekea was transferred to Leptocleididae and Aristonectes was transferred to Elasmosauridae.[2]

Contents

Appearance

A pair of Muraenosaurus leedsi

They had long necks, broad and short skulls and densely packed teeth. They fed on small soft-bodied preys such as small fish and crustaceans.

Cladogram based on Ketchum and Benson (2010):[2]

Cryptoclididae


Muraenosaurus



Tricleidus





Cryptoclidus



Kimmerosaurus




In popular culture

Cryptoclidus oxonensis

One genus, Cryptoclidus, was featured in the BBC television series Walking with Dinosaurs.

References

  1. ^ Gasparini, Z., Bardet, N., and Iturralde-Vinent, M. (2002). "A new cryptoclidid plesiosaur from the Oxfordian (Late Jurassic) of Cuba". Geobios 35 (2): 201–211. http://doc.rero.ch/lm.php?url=1000,43,39,20091210003120-ZZ/PAL_E2408.pdf. 
  2. ^ a b Ketchum, H. F., and Benson, R. B. J. (2010). "Global interrelationships of Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses". Biological Reviews 85: 361–392. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00107.x. PMID 20002391. 

External links