In very good condition, a Plesiosaur fossil was recently found in southern Germany.
Indeed, as part of the training Posidonianschiefer of Holzmaden, German researchers from the University of Lund discovered a Plesiosaur Fossil in Holzmaden, located in southern Germany, not far from Stuttgart.
An 180 million year old fossil
Found in a very good condition, this plesiosaur fossil, Plesioptery Wildi In Latin, is 180 million years old and lived during the lower Jurassic, which corresponds to the first period of the Jurassic, which dates back to 2018 to 145 million years ago. It is from this period that dinosaurs and reptiles dominate the earth, all accompanied by the appearance of birds.
The Plesiosaur, which was part of this biodiversity, was characterized by a broad and long body, four members who later evolved into fins due to the animal's aquatic living environment. Nourishing mainly with shells or small bone fish thanks to its long sharp teeth, it had a fairly large geographical distribution, since it found itself in the seas of Europe, Africa and the periphery of the current Pacific Ocean.
A discovery that was necessary
Making themselves rare, the fossil remains of marine reptiles living with dinosaurs do not offer much information on these animals today extinct. However, because of its incredible conservation, this specimen found in the south of Germany will allow to offer a gateway to the knowledge of the Plesiosaurs.
“The Holzmaden specimen offers us an unprecedented overview of Plesioptery Wildi at a more advanced stage of development, allowing us to refine our understanding of this species and its place in the evolution of Plesiosaurs”said Miguel Marx, main author of the study concerning this fossil published on March 31, 2025 in the journal Peerj Life and Environment. This discovery also makes it possible to issue the hypothesis that there were many distinct species of Plesiosaurs, which dominated marine ecosystems during the lower Jurassic.
Source: Scitechdaily
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