Osteohistology of the Maastrichtian, small-bodied elasmosaurid Kawanectes lafquenianum (Sauropterygia; Plesiosauria).

ABSTRACT: Plesiosauria is a clade of marine reptiles that thrived from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous. Among plesiosaurs, the elasmosaurids are particularly notable for their diverse body sizes. Small-sized specimens of Kawanectes lafquenianum exhibit fully closed neuro-central sutures indicating skeletal maturity. To independently assess whether they are indeed small-bodied adults, we analysed the paleohistology of long bones of three differently sized Kawanectes lafquenianum specimens recovered from the La Colonia Formation, Chubut Province, Argentina. The microanatomy of the bones revealed differences in the architectural organization of the hindlimbs and forelimbs, with the humerus being highly remodelled as compared to the femur. Extensive secondary reconstruction in the propodi

SUBMITTER: Pereyra ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12397071 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep-Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature