Plesiopharos fossil map
Where fossils of Plesiopharos have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 201 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 201 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Plesiosaurs & kin |
|---|---|
| Lived | 199.5–192.9 million years ago (Sinemurian) |
| Periods | Jurassic |
| Named by | Puértolas-Pascual et al. 2021 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Portugal |
| Rock formations | txn:NF |
About Plesiopharos
Plesiopharos (derived from the Greek words πλησίος (plesios), "close" and φάρος (pharos), "lighthouse", because its holotype was found in the vicinity of a lighthouse + [from São Pedro de] Moel) is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the Early Jurassic Coimbra Formation of Portugal. Specifically, it was discovered in São Pedro de Moel, Marinha Grande, from which the type species' binomial name, Plesiopharos moelensis, derives from.
At the time of its publication (2021), this plesiosaur was the most complete and oldest known from the Iberian Peninsula.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Plesiopharos (revision 1352617778), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q107207764.
