Liopleurodon

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Ellis, R. 2003. Sea dragons – predators of the prehistoric oceans. University Press of Kansas, 313 pp. Although the Liopleurodon was a giant animal, it was not as big as the Australian giant Kronosaurus, which had a maximum length of 36 feet. More bones were recovered in other areas in France, and although they were initially categorized under the genus Poikilopleuron, Sauvage finally classified them under Liopleurodon. Following Robinson (1975), many other authors subsequently reused or redrew the Newman & Tarlo reconstruction under the name of Liopleurodon in academic papers, popular articles, and books, to the point where it has become ubiquitous (Taylor 1981; Carroll 1988; Benton 1990a&b; Martill & Hudson 1991; O’Keefe 2002; Ellis 2003; and Yang 2013 come to mind – I’m sure there are many more). Sometimes the outline of the tail fin was reduced or removed, sometimes the soft tissue outline was removed entirely, sometimes the pliosaur was given extra teeth (the original appears devoid of any maxillary teeth), and sometimes its mouth was redrawn in a open position, but the source is always obvious even when it isn’t directly cited. It is quite understandable that this reconstruction has been reused so frequently and for so long. It was the first published illustration of a full body skeletal reconstruction attributed to Liopleurodon, and has remained the only one for 54 years to the present day. So, what do we really know of the ‘Stewartby Pliosaur’ specimen that inspired this reconstruction, and is it really Liopleurodon? A selection of the many books and papers that have reused, modified, or redrawn the Newman & Tarlo (1967) pliosaur reconstruction (original at far left) under the name of Liopleurodon (except, in this picture, Knutsen (2012) (top right) who uses it as a generic pliosaur). The ‘Stewartby Pliosaur’ The first fossils of this ancient creature were discovered in 1873 in the Boulogne sur Mer region of France. Fossilized tooth of Liopleurodon | Madzia via Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

The Peking Natural Science-Art Organisation have a diverse range of detailed dinosaur toys and statues.Tarlo, L. B. 1959. Stretosaurus gen. nov., a giant pliosaur from the Kimmeridge Clay. Palaeontology, 2, 39-55. Martill, D. M. and Hudson, J. D. (eds.). 1991. Fossils of the Oxford Clay. The Palaeontological Association. Dorset Press, Dorset, 286 pp. Over the years, people have tried to draw or design the Liopleurodon differently, some as a two-dimensional image, others as three-dimensional toys and sculptures. Conclusion Figure from Newman & Tarlo (1967) showing the articulated hind flipper of the ‘Stewartby Pliosaur’ ( Liopleurodon ferox). It’s a photocopy of a photocopy, hence the terrible quality, so if anyone has a scan I’d be glad to hear from you. Making sense of the Newman & Tarlo reconstruction We know Halstead attributed the reconstruction to Liopleurodon in 1982 (Halstead 1982), so we can be reasonably confident the reconstruction was based on material regarded by him as Liopleurodon at that time, which would have included the lectotype of ‘ Stretosaurus‘. It would also make sense for Tarlo to use the ‘Stretham Pliosaur’ specimen in the Newman & Tarlo reconstruction for two other reasons. First, he described and was intimately familiar with it (Tarlo, 1957, 1959, 1960), and second, in Tarlo’s words, “The Streatham specimen is one of the most important Pliosaur[sic] skeletons to have come out of the Kimeridge [sic][and]…most of the post-cranial skeleton can be described” (Tarlo 1959, p. 41). And, of course, the specimen certainly fulfils the criterion of “other giant pliosaur remains” as stipulated by Newman and Tarlo.

While some reptiles during the Jurassic period laid eggs, Liopleurodon was one of the few species that gave birth to their young ones alive.

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Mosasaurs were much bigger and had more powerful jaws than their predecessors, which gave the Liopleurodon real competition. Their first fossils were recovered in the 19th century, and these items have proved pivotal in knowing more about this apex predator. Although scientists once exaggerated the size of the Liopleurodon, they have now settled for a more reasonable size. Also, most of these marine reptiles had similar diets, which consisted of cephalopods and other sea creatures. Some were also known to be scavengers when the situation called for it. Liopleurodon’s massive size made it an apex predator while it was extant. It was fully aquatic and also a great hunter.