Graphical abstract. Credit: iScience (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105033
Phys.org has a story about a recently described plesiosaur. Discovered back in 1995, Serpentisuchops pfisterae, which means roughly "creature with a snaky crocface", has been described as a plesiosaur. Plesiosaurs generally come in two varieties, those with a long, snake-like neck and a small head, and those with a shorter neck and a head with a long jaw like a crocodile. S. pfisterae is unique because it has a long neck and a crocodile like head. The animal lived in what is now Wyoming during the Cretaceous Period about 70 million years ago. See the description which appeared in the journal iScience for more details.
A team of researchers studying a plesiosaur found at a dig site in Wyoming identified it as a long-necked marine reptile. In their paper published in the journal iScience, the group outlines their findings and where the specimen fits in with others from its time.
A team of paleontologists discovered the plesiosaur fossil remains back in 1995 and brought it to the Glenrock Paleontological Museum, where it was studied on and off over the years. But it was not given a serious study until recently. The researchers began their work by noting that plesiosaurs have generally been found in two main varieties, those with long, snake-like necks topped by a small head, or those with a short neck and a head with a long jaw reminiscent of a crocodile. The new one did not fit the pattern—it had a long neck and a croc-like mouth. It was named Serpentisuchops pfisterae, which, the researchers note, roughly translates to "creature with a snaky crocface."
