The fossils of a 170-million-year-old ancient marine reptile from the Age of Dinosaurs have been identified as the oldest-known mega-predatory pliosaur -- a group of ocean-dwelling reptiles closely related to the famous long-necked plesiosaurs. The findings are rare and add new knowledge to the evolution of plesiosaurs.
The study has been published in the journalThe fossils were found 40 years ago in north-eastern France.
"The remains were unearthed in 1983 from a road cutting near Metz in Lorraine, north-eastern France. Palaeontology enthusiasts from the Association minéralogique et paléontologique d'Hayange et des environs recognised the significance of their discovery and donated the fossils to the Natural History Museum in Luxembourg," said co-author Ben Thuy, Curator at the Natural History Museum in Luxembourg.
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