Dakosaurus
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 life restoration of Dakosaurus andiniensis
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Extinct (fossil)
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Dakosaurus was a genus within Metriorhynchidae that was large in size, with lateromedially compressed and serrated teeth. Dakosaurus was a carnivore that spent much, if not all, its life out at sea. No Dakosaurus eggs or nest have been discovered, so little is known of the reptile's lifecycle, unlike other large marine reptiles of the Mesozoic, such as plesiosaurs or ichthyosaurs which are known to give birth to live young out at sea. Where Dakosaurus mated, whether on land or at sea, is currently unknown.
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[edit] Species
The species within Dakosaurus include :
- D. maximus: type species from Western Europe (England, France, Switzerland and Germany) of the Late Jurassic (Late Kimmeridgian-Early Tithonian)
- D. andiniensis: Argentina of the End Jurassic-Beginning Cretaceous (Late Tithonian-Early Berriasian)
- D. lapparenti: France of the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian)
Teeth referrable to Dakosaurus is known from Europe from every age from the Kimmeridgian to the Hauterivian.
Synonyms of Dakosaurus include: Plesiosuchus and Brachytaenius.
[edit] Size and form
All currently known species would have been approximately six metres or so in length, which when compared to living crocodilians, Dakosaurus can be considered large-sized. Its body was streamlined for greater hydrodynamic swimming, which along with finned tail made it a more efficient swimmer than modern crocodilian species.
[edit] Closely related species
Other genera included in this within the metriorhynchid family are: Teleidosaurus, Metriorhynchus, Geosaurus and Enaliosuchus. The genera within Metiorhynchidae considered to be nomina dubia are Aggiosaurus and Neustosaurus.
[edit] References
- Gasparini, Z., Pol, D. & Spalletti, L.A. (2006). An unusual marine crocodyliform from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary of Patagonia. Science 311: 70-73
