New specimens of rare plesiosaurs from the Pliensbachian of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany)

The Pliensbachian (Early Jurassic, ∼192.9–184.2 Ma) plesiosaurs are poorly understood, with only three taxa established worldwide. The new study reports two lower Pliensbachian plesiosaur occurrences from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, including the only reliably identified early Pliensbachian pliosaurid discovered to date. Despite that its remains are morphologically, geographically and stratigraphically close to Arminisaurus schuberti, precise identification of the new material remains currently uncertain.

Reconstruction: Joschua Knüppe