Muraenosaurus ('
moray eelMoray eels are huge cosmopolitan eels of the family Muraenidae. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera. The typical length of a moray is 1.5 m , with the longest being the slender giant moray, Strophidon sathete, at up to 4 m , and the largest, in terms of total mass being the...
lizard') is an extinct
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of
sauropterygiaSauropterygia is a group of very successful aquatic reptiles that flourished during the Age of the Dinosaurs before they became extinct. They are united by a radical adaptation of their shoulder, designed to support powerful flipper strokes...
n
reptileReptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, generally "cold-blooded" amniotes that generally have skin covered in scales or scutes. They are tetrapods and lay amniote eggs, whose embryos are surrounded by the amnion membrane...
, from the
Middle JurassicThe Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from 176-161 million years ago. In European lithostratigraphy, rocks of this Middle Jurassic age age called the Dogger...
of Europe. Fossils have been found in England and France.
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Muraenosaurus ('
moray eelMoray eels are huge cosmopolitan eels of the family Muraenidae. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera. The typical length of a moray is 1.5 m , with the longest being the slender giant moray, Strophidon sathete, at up to 4 m , and the largest, in terms of total mass being the...
lizard') is an extinct
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of
sauropterygiaSauropterygia is a group of very successful aquatic reptiles that flourished during the Age of the Dinosaurs before they became extinct. They are united by a radical adaptation of their shoulder, designed to support powerful flipper strokes...
n
reptileReptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, generally "cold-blooded" amniotes that generally have skin covered in scales or scutes. They are tetrapods and lay amniote eggs, whose embryos are surrounded by the amnion membrane...
, from the
Middle JurassicThe Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from 176-161 million years ago. In European lithostratigraphy, rocks of this Middle Jurassic age age called the Dogger...
of Europe. Fossils have been found in England and France.
Muraenosaurus grew to around long, with around half of that length being taken up by the animal's neck, which possessed 44
vertebraA vertebra is an individual bone in the flexible column that defines vertebrate animals, e.g. humans. The vertebral column encases and protects the spinal cord, which runs from the base of the cranium down the dorsal side of the animal until reaching the pelvis. From there, vertebra continue into...
e. Behind the neck,
Muraenosaurus had a short, relatively inflexible body and powerful flippers. The head was remarkably small compared to the overall size of the animal, being only around long.