Cryptoclididae

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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

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]

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. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 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

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