Genus
Valid Extinct

Megacephalosaurus

Schumacher et al. 2013

Megacephalosaurus is an extinct genus of short-necked pliosaur that inhabited the Western Interior Seaway of North America about 94 to 93 million years ago during the Turonian stage of the Late Cretaceous, containing the single species M. eulerti. It is named after its large head, which is the largest of any plesiosaur in the continent and measures up to 1.75 meters (5.7 ft) in length. Megacephalosaurus was one of the largest marine reptiles of its time with an estimated length of 6–9 meters (20–30 ft). Its long snout and consistently sized teeth suggest that it preferred a diet of smaller-sized prey.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
2
Group
Sauroptérygiens
Carnivore nektonic Marine
Megacephalosaurus
click to enlarge
Skull of Megacephalosaurus eulerti FHSM VP-321 in dorsal and palatal view. Right mandible in medial and lateral views. © Carpenter, Kenneth · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Sauropterygia Suborder
Plesiosauria Order
Pliosauroidea Superfamily
Pliosauridae Family
Thalassophonea Unranked clade
Brachaucheninae Subfamily
Megacephalosaurus Genus
Fossil sites 2 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
2
Geological formations
Carlile Shale
1
Greenhorn Limestone
1
Temporal distribution
Turonian (93.9–89.8 Ma)
2
Species (1)
Megacephalosaurus eulerti 94 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
B. A. Schumacher, K. Carpenter, and M. J. Everhart. 2013. A new Cretaceous pliosaurid (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) from the Carlile Shale (Middle Turonian) of Russell County, Kansas. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 33(3):613-628 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
B. A. Schumacher, K. Carpenter, and M. J. Everhart. 2013. A new Cretaceous pliosaurid (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) from the Carlile Shale (Middle Turonian) of Russell County, Kansas. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 33(3):613-628 DOI ↗