Mesozoic Biotas of Scandinavia and its Arctic Territories

Scandinavia and its Arctic territories of Svalbard and Greenland represent geographical regions with a long history of Mesozoic palaeontology. However, the last few decades have witnessed a surge of new discoveries. Especially famous are the Triassic and Late Jurassic Lagerstätten of East Greenland and Spitsbergen in the Svalbard Archipelago, together with the Late Cretaceous strata of southern Sweden and the UNESCO World Heritage locality at Stevns Klint in Denmark. The latter records one of the most complete terminal Mesozoic rock successions known globally. Collectively, these deposits encompass the spectrum of Mesozoic biotic evolution, including the explosive radiation of marine faunas after the Permian–Triassic extinction, seminal specialization of amniotes for life in the sea, Late Triassic–Jurassic domination of the land by dinosaurs and the Cretaceous development of modern terrestrial floras and marine ecosystems. This volume, authored by leading experts in the field, encapsulates key aspects of the latest research and will provide a benchmark for future investigations into the Scandinavian Mesozoic world.
A partial plesiosaurian braincase from the Upper Cretaceous of Sweden
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Published:January 01, 2016
Abstract
A partial exoccipital–opisthotic from the uppermost lower Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Åsen locality, Kristianstad Basin, southernmost Sweden, is described and illustrated. The fossil represents the first braincase element of a plesiosaur found in Sweden. It includes the chamber for the ampulla and utriculus, openings for the caudal vertical and horizontal semicircular canals, and four foramina for cranial nerves. The incomplete braincase can be referred to an elasmosaurid plesiosaur, and closely resembles the exoccipital–opisthotic of Libonectes morgani and a referred specimen of Aristonectes parvidens. Although we discuss putative postcranial material of the elasmosaurid subfamily Aristonectinae in the uppermost lower Campanian of southernmost Sweden, the exoccipital–opisthotic from Åsen most likely belongs to a juvenile individual of a non-aristonectine elasmosaur.
- bones
- Campanian
- Chordata
- cranium
- Cretaceous
- Diapsida
- Elasmosauridae
- Europe
- fossil localities
- juvenile taxa
- Kristianstad Sweden
- lower Campanian
- Mesozoic
- morphology
- ontogeny
- osteology
- Plesiosauria
- Reptilia
- Sauropterygia
- Scandinavia
- Skane Sweden
- Sweden
- taxonomy
- Tetrapoda
- Upper Cretaceous
- vertebrae
- Vertebrata
- Western Europe
- Aristonectes
- Asen Sweden
- Aristonectes parvidens
- Aristonectinae
- Libonectes morgani