Morturneria
| Morturneria Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian
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Life restoration
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
| Order: | †Plesiosauria |
| Family: | †Elasmosauridae |
| Genus: | †Morturneria Chatterjee and Creisler, 1994 |
| Species | |
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Morturneria is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of what is now Antarctica.
History of research
The
paleontological expeditions recovered eight partial plesiosaur skeletons in the formation. One of these, TTU P9219, consisted of a skull and some cervical vertebrae. It was found in the upper part of the formation, informally known as the 'molluscan units', high up in a ravine. It was preserved within a tough, calcareous nodule, from which it was difficult to remove. While excavating the specimens, the dig teams faced difficulty in removing the strata above the fossils, due to the presence of permafrost. The cold temperatures also prevented the plaster from setting, so the teams used camp stoves and aluminium foil to heat it up, allowing it to harden. The specimen was prepared with the usage of power tools and acetic acid to remove the surrounding rock.[1]
In 1989,
preoccupied, already in use for a genus of hymenopteran insect. In light of this, Chatterjee and Benjamin Creisler published a new name for the plesiosaur, Morturneria, in 1994. As before, the generic name honors Mort Turner.[2]
However, a 2003 study by
phalanges.[5]
Description
The external naris (nostril opening) is formed by the
foramina (pits). The premaxillae each bore at least eight teeth. After the frontmost five alveoli (tooth sockets) in the upper jaw, the borders of the alveoli become poorly defined or absent, with the upper tooth row appearing to be a groove on the maxilla. Instead of being directed downwards, the teeth were pointed outwards, where they interlocked. The upper edge of the orbit (eye opening) is composed of the frontal, with the prefrontal participating in the region intermediate between the upper and front edges. There is a prominent bend in the frontal, with the front region flaring outwards. This may have protected the eye. The outer margin of the orbit is bowed inwards, thanks to an enlargement on the maxilla.[4]
Paleobiology
In 2003, Gasparini interpreted the M. seymourensis holotype as a juvenile because of its smaller size and the lack of fusion of the neural arches to the vertebrae.[3] The downward-curving teeth of the lower jaw indicate that unlike most plesiosaurs, Morturneria was capable of filter-feeding, scooping sand from sediments, ejecting sediment-laden water, and preying on amphipods and other tiny prey organisms.[4]
See also
References
- ^ S2CID 140639013.
- .
- ^ .
- ^ S2CID 91144814.
- ^ Lester, Elizabeth (2019). Description and histology of a small-bodied elasmosaur and description of Mortuneria seyemourensis postcranium (Thesis). Marshall University.