Platecarpus
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Platecarpus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 84–81 Ma |
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| Cast of P. tympaniticus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Superfamily: | †Mosasauroidea |
| Family: | †Mosasauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Plioplatecarpinae |
| Tribe: | †Plioplatecarpini |
| Genus: |
†Platecarpus Cope, 1869 |
| Species: | †P. tympaniticus |
| Binomial name | |
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Platecarpus tympaniticus Cope, 1869 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Platecarpus coryphaeus |
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Platecarpus coryphaeus
Platecarpus ictericus
Platecarpus ("flat wrist") is an extinct genus of aquatic lizard belonging to the mosasaur family, living around 84–81 million years ago during the middle Santonian to early Campanian, of the Late Cretaceous period. Fossils have been found in the United States as well as a possible specimen in Belgium and Africa.Platecarpus probably fed on fish, squid, and ammonites. Like other mosasaurs, it was initially thought to have swum in an eel-like fashion, although a recent study suggests that it swam more like modern sharks. An exceptionally well-preserved specimen of P. tympaniticus known as LACM 128319 shows skin impressions, pigments around the nostrils, bronchial tubes and the presence of a high profile tail fluke, showing that it and other mosasaurs did not necessarily have an eel-like swimming method but were more powerful fast swimmers. It is held in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Platecarpus had a long, down-turned tail with a large dorsal lobe on it, steering flippers, and jaws lined with conical teeth. It grew up to 4.3 metres (14 ft) long, with half of that length taken up by its tail. The platecarpine mosasaurs had evolved into the very specialized plioplatecarpine group by the end of the Cretaceous.
The skull structure of Platecarpus is unique among mosasaurs. This genus is characterized by a short skull, and has fewer teeth than any other mosasaur (approximately 10 teeth in each dentary). LACM 128319 preserves matter within the sclerotic ring that may possibly be the retina of the eye. Small structures in the retina, each around 2 µm long and observed by scanning electron microspectroscopy, may represent retinal melanosomes preserved in their original positions.
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