Fresnosaurus is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian stage) of what is now California. The type species is Fresnosaurus drescheri, first described by Welles in 1943.[1] The generic name Fresnosaurus honors Fresno County, while the specific name honors Arthur Drescher.[2][1]
| Fresnosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
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| Genus: | †Fresnosaurus Welles, 1943
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| †Fresnosaurus drescheri Welles, 1943
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Fresnosaurus was probably at least 9 meters (30 feet) in length. Like all elasmosaurid plesiosaurs, it probably ate small bony fish, belemnites, and ammonites.[1][3]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c S. P. Welles. 1943. Elasmosaurid plesiosaurs with description of new material from California and Colorado. Memoirs of the University of California 13:125-254
- ^ Sepkoski, J.J. (2002). A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363: 1–560.
- ^ Fresnosaurus from the Plesiosauria Translation and Pronunciation Guide