Plesiopterys fossil map
Where fossils of Plesiopterys have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 190 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 190 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 | 184.2–182.9 million years ago (Toarcian) |
| Periods | Jurassic |
| Named by | O'Keefe 2004 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Germany |
| Rock formations | Posidonienschiefer |
About Plesiopterys
Plesiopterys (“plesio” meaning “near,” and “pterys” meaning “wing” or “pterygoid bone”) is an extinct genus of plesiosaur originating from the Posidonienschiefer of Holzmaden, Germany, and lived during the Early Jurassic period. The type and only species is P. wildi, known from two immature specimens with the subadult measuring 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. It possesses a unique combination of both primitive and derived characters, and is currently displayed at the State Museum of Natural History and the Hauff Museum, Germany.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Plesiopterys (revision 1355399022), 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: Q7204675.
