Oldest Newly Discovered Plesiosaur Unveiled: Meet Lorainosaurus

Oldest Plesiosaur Discovered: Introducing Lorainosaurus

An extraordinary finding in the field of paleontology has recently been published in Scientific Reports. Researchers have unveiled the oldest known plesiosaur, a marine dinosaur named Lorainosaurus, which existed during the Jurassic period approximately 170 million years ago. With a remarkable body length of 5.7 meters, this formidable predator possessed a short neck, a large skull, a streamlined body, and menacing long teeth.

Lorainosaurus first came to light in northeastern France in 1983, but unfortunately went under the radar. Aside from a brief report published in 1994, little research has been dedicated to this exceptional specimen. However, newfound appreciation from paleontologists has brought it into the spotlight of the academic community.

“Lorainosaurus represents one of the earliest plesiosaurs,” explains Sven Sachs, a paleontologist from the Naturkunde Museum in Bielefeld.

The presence of Lorainosaurus fossils suggests that the era of colossal carnivorous plesiosaurs likely began even earlier than previously believed. These marine creatures made their debut around 200 million years ago, reigning as apex predators during the early to middle Jurassic period, approximately 175 to 171 million years ago.

“The inclusion of Lorainosaurus in our understanding of ancient marine reptiles from the age of dinosaurs will prove to be momentous,” remarks Benjamin Keir, a paleontologist at Uppsala University.

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An imaginary drawing that reproduces the appearance of Lorainosaurus. [사진=10Tons]

A paper recently published in the journal Scientific Reports reports on the oldest newly discovered plesiosaur. The new dinosaur is called Lorranosaurus. It was a dinosaur that lived in the sea during the Jurassic period 170 million years ago and had a body length of 5.7 meters. It was a predator with a short neck, large skull, torpedo-shaped body, and long teeth.

Lorainosaurus fossils were first discovered in northeastern France in 1983, but they received little attention. Apart from a short report published in 1994, there has been no research focusing on the sample. However, it was studied anew by palaeontologists who recognized its value and became known to the academic world.

“Lorainosaurus was one of the really early plesiosaurs,” says Sven Sachs, paleontologist at the Naturkunde Museum in Bielefeld.

Lorainosaurus fossils suggest that the era of giant carnivorous plesiosaurs likely began earlier than previously known. Plesiosaurs are animals that first appeared 200 million years ago. It reigned as the top predator in the early to middle Jurassic period, about 175 to 171 million years ago.

“Lorainosaurus will be an important addition to the incompletely understood ancient marine reptiles of the age of dinosaurs,” said Benjamin Keir, paleontologist at Uppsala University.

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