Misplaced Pages

Morenosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 70-66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Mounted skeleton (CIT 2802), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Life reconstruction of M. stocki
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Sauropterygia
Order:	Plesiosauria
Family:	?Elasmosauridae
Genus:	Morenosaurus
Species
Morenosaurus stocki (type) Welles, 1943

Morenosaurus is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the Cretaceous of what is now California. The type species is Morenosaurus stocki, first named by Samuel Welles in 1943, in honor of Dr. Chester Stock. The species was found by Robert Wallace and Arthur Drescher in the Panoche Hills region of Fresno County. The skeleton they found was fairly complete, and lacked only the head and parts of the neck and paddles; the preserved portion of the trunk and tail is 3.63 metres (11.9 ft) long. The skeleton was originally mounted at Caltech but is now in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Morenosaurus may have been similar to Elasmosaurus or Thalassomedon, but studies in the early 2000s indicated that the fossils were too scrappy to identify to the family level.

See also

• List of plesiosaur genera
• Timeline of plesiosaur research

References

1. Hilton, Richard P., Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Animals of California, University of California Press, Berkeley 2003 ISBN 0-520-23315-8, at page 105
2. O'Gorman, J.P. (2016). "A Small Body Sized Non-Aristonectine Elasmosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia with Comments on the Relationships of the Patagonian and Antarctic Elasmosaurids" (PDF). Ameghiniana. 53 (3): 245–268. doi:10.5710/AMGH.29.11.2015.2928. S2CID 133139689.

• Sepkoski, J.J. (2002). A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363: 1-560.
• Drunkenmiller, Patrick S. and Russell, Anthony P. (2006). A new elasmosaurid plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Lower Cretaceous Clearwater Formation, northeastern Alberta, Canada. Paludicola 5 (4): 184-199.

External links

• Morenosaurus from the PaleoBiology Database
• Morenosaurus at the Natural History Museum

v t e Sauropterygia
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Subclass: Diapsida Clade: Neodiapsida Sauropsida see Sauropsida Sauropterygia see below↓
Sauropterygia Sauropterygia Alexeyisaurus Atopodentatus Palatodonta? Pomolispondylus? Hanosaurus? Helveticosauridae? Eusaurosphargis? Helveticosaurus Saurosphargidae Hemilopas? Largocephalosaurus Prosaurosphargis Saurosphargis Sinosaurosphargis Stauromatodon? Placodontia Paraplacodus Pararcus Placodus Cyamodontoidea Cyamodus Glyphoderma Henodus Macroplacus Parahenodus Placochelys Protenodontosaurus Psephochelys Psephoderma Psephosauriscus Psephosaurus Sinocyamodus Eosauropterygia see below↓
Eosauropterygia Eosauropterygia Corosaurus Cymatosaurus Pachypleurosauria Anarosaurus Chusaurus Dactylosaurus Dawazisaurus? Diandongosaurus Dianmeisaurus Dianopachysaurus Hanosaurus? Honghesaurus Keichousaurus Luopingosaurus Majiashanosaurus Neusticosaurus Odoiporosaurus Prosantosaurus Panzhousaurus Qianxisaurus Serpianosaurus Wumengosaurus Nothosauroidea Brevicaudosaurus Hispaniasaurus? Sanchiaosaurus Simosauridae Paludidraco Simosaurus Nothosauridae Ceresiosaurus Germanosaurus Lariosaurus Metanothosaurus Nothosaurus Proneusticosaurus Silvestrosaurus Pistosauroidea Augustasaurus Bobosaurus Chinchenia Kwangsisaurus Pistosaurus Tanaisosaurus Wangosaurus Yunguisaurus Plesiosauria see below↓
Plesiosauria Plesiosauria Anningasaura Bathyspondylus Bobosaurus? Lindwurmia Sinopliosaurus Termatosaurus? Rhomaleosauridae Anningasaura? Archaeonectrus Atychodracon Avalonnectes Bishanopliosaurus? Borealonectes Eurycleidus Lindwurmia? Macroplata Maresaurus Meyerasaurus Rhomaleosaurus Sthenarosaurus Stratesaurus Thaumatodracon Yuzhoupliosaurus? Pliosauridae Anguanax Arminisaurus Attenborosaurus Cryonectes Hauffiosaurus Marmornectes Pachycostasaurus Rhaeticosaurus Thalassiodracon Thalassophonea Eardasaurus Gallardosaurus Liopleurodon Lorrainosaurus Megalneusaurus UANL-FCT-R2? Peloneustes "Pliosaurus" andrewsi Pliosaurus Simolestes Brachaucheninae Acostasaurus Brachauchenius Eiectus Kronosaurus Luskhan Makhaira Megacephalosaurus Monquirasaurus Polyptychodon Sachicasaurus Stenorhynchosaurus Plesiosauroidea Eoplesiosaurus Eretmosaurus Franconiasaurus Leurospondylus Plesiopharos Plesiopterys Plesiosaurus Westphaliasaurus Microcleididae Hydrorion Lusonectes Microcleidus Occitanosaurus Seeleyosaurus Cryptoclidia see below↓
Cryptoclidia Cryptoclididae Opallionectes Colymbosaurinae Abyssosaurus Colymbosaurus Djupedalia Pantosaurus Spitrasaurus Cryptoclidinae Cryptoclidus Kimmerosaurus Ophthalmothule Tatenectes Muraenosaurinae Muraenosaurus Picrocleidus Tricleidus? Vinialesaurus Xenopsaria Leptocleidia Hastanectes? Nichollssaura? Leptocleididae Brancasaurus Hastanectes? Leptocleidus Nichollssaura? Umoonasaurus? Vectocleidus Polycotylidae Edgarosaurus Manemergus Mauriciosaurus Thililua Palmulasaurinae Pahasapasaurus? Palmulasaurus Occultonectia Plesiopleurodon Sulcusuchus Polycotylinae Eopolycotylus Georgiasaurus Polycotylus Scalamagnus Serpentisuchops Trinacromerum Dolichorhynchia Dolichorhynchops Martinectes Unktaheela Elasmosauridae Callawayasaurus Cimoliasaurus Eromangasaurus Goniosaurus Jucha Lagenanectes Leivanectes Mauisaurus Ogmodirus Orophosaurus Plesioelasmosaurus Scanisaurus Wapuskanectes Woolungasaurus Euelasmosaurida Cardiocorax Libonectes Thalassomedon Elasmosaurinae Albertonectes Elasmosaurus Fluvionectes Hydrotherosaurus? Nakonanectes Styxosaurus Terminonatator Weddellonectia Aphrosaurus Chubutinectes Futabasaurus Fresnosaurus? Hydrotherosaurus? Kawanectes Marambionectes Morenosaurus Tuarangisaurus Vegasaurus Zarafasaura? Aristonectinae Alexandronectes Aristonectes Kaiwhekea Morturneria Wunyelfia

• Late Cretaceous plesiosaurs of North America
• Elasmosaurids
• Taxa named by Samuel Paul Welles
• Sauropterygian genera