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Thililua
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Thililua longicollis

Thililua longicollis
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Sauropsida
Superorder:Sauropterygia
Order:Plesiosauria
Suborder:Plesiosauroidea
Family:Polycotylidae
Genus:Thililua
Species:T. longicollis
Binomial name
Thililua longicollis
Thililua is a genus of polycotylid plesiosaur, containing one species, T. longicollis. The name Thililua is derived from that of an ancient aquatic god from local Berber mythology; longicollis refers to the animal's long neck. Thililua has been found in Late Cretaceous ( early Turonian) rocks in the High Atlas mountains of Morocco in north Africa. Thililua is the first Polycotylid plesiosaur discovered in Africa, and also the first discovered that lived at a subtropical latitude.

Anatomy

The type specimen of T. longicollis, which was described in 2003, consists of an almost complete skull and lower jaw, articulated with 37 vertebrae. Of these vertebrae, 30 were cervical (neck) vertebrae, which is an unusually high number compared to other Polycotylids, such as Dolichorhynchops, which had only 19 neck vertebrae, and Polycotylus, which had 26. It is believed to be an adult specimen, since some of the cranial sutures are very difficult to distinguish. Using comparisons with the head and neck length to body length ratio of a related genus, Dolichorhynchops, the estimated total length of Thililua was 5.5 to 6 metres.

References

Bardet, N., Suberbiola, X.P., Jalil, N.E., 2003. A new polycotylid plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of Morocco. Comptes Rendus Palevol 2: 307-315.
conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation status of a species: not simply the number remaining, but the
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For other uses of the term, see Fossil (disambiguation)


FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under the DOS operating system.
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Sauropsida*
Goodrich, 1916

Subclasses
  • Anapsida
  • Diapsida
Synonyms
  • Reptilia Laurenti, 1768
Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class
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Sauropterygia
Owen, 1860

Orders
  • ?Thalattosauriformes
  • Placodontia
  • Nothosauroidea
  • Plesiosauria
Sauropterygia ("lizard flippers") is a group of very successful aquatic reptiles that flourished during the Age of the Dinosaurs
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Plesiosauria
de Blainville, 1835

Suborders

Plesiosauroidea
Pliosauroidea
Plesiosauria (IPA /ˈplisiəˌsɔɹ/) (Greek: plesios meaning 'near to' and
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Plesiosauroidea
Gray, 1825

Families

Cimoliasauridae
Cryptoclididae
Elasmosauridae
Plesiosauridae
Polycotylidae

Plesiosaurs (IPA /ˈplisɪəˌsɔɹ/
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Polycotylidae is a family of large plesiosaurs from the Cretaceous, a sister group to the elasmosauridae.

With their short necks and large elongated heads, they resemble the pliosaurs, but closer phylogenetical studies indicate that they share many common features with the
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binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. The system is also called binominal nomenclature (particularly in zoological circles), binary nomenclature (particularly in botanical circles), or the binomial classification system.
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genus (plural: genera) is part of the Latinized name for an organism. It is a name which reflects the classification of the organism by grouping it with other closely similar organisms.
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Polycotylidae is a family of large plesiosaurs from the Cretaceous, a sister group to the elasmosauridae.

With their short necks and large elongated heads, they resemble the pliosaurs, but closer phylogenetical studies indicate that they share many common features with the
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Plesiosauroidea
Gray, 1825

Families

Cimoliasauridae
Cryptoclididae
Elasmosauridae
Plesiosauridae
Polycotylidae

Plesiosaurs (IPA /ˈplisɪəˌsɔɹ/
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species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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Late Cretaceous (100mya - 65mya) refers to the second half of the Cretaceous Period, named after the famous white chalk cliffs of southern England, which date from this time. Rocks deposited during the Late Cretaceous Period are referred to as the Upper Cretaceous Series.
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The Turonian is a stage of the Late Cretaceous Epoch. It spans the time between 93.5 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.3 ± 1 Ma (million years ago).

The Turonien was definied by the French paleontologist Alcide d'Orbigny (1802 - 1857), who named it after the city of Tours in the French
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High Atlas


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Motto
"Allāh, al Waţan, al Malik"   (transliteration)
"God, Nation, King"
Anthem
Hymne Chérifien
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Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30,221,532 km² (11,668,545 sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area.
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The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitude 23.5 ° north and south.
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20th century - 21st century - 22nd century
1970s  1980s  1990s  - 2000s -  2010s  2020s  2030s
2000 2001 2002 - 2003 - 2004 2005 2006

2003 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
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skull is a bony structure found in many animals which serves as the general framework for the head. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury.

The skull can be subdivided into two parts: the cranium and the mandible.
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mandible (from Latin mandibūla, "jawbone") or inferior maxillary bone is, together with the maxilla, the largest and strongest bone of the face . It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place.
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The Vertebral Column (singular: vertebra) are the individual irregular bones that make up the spinal column (aka ischis) — a flexuous and flexible column.
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Dolichorhynchops

Species
  • D. osborni
  • D. herschelensis
Dolichorhynchops is a genus of Polycotylid Plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America, containing two species, D. osborni and D.
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Cranial sutures are the joints between the bones of the skull (or "cranium"), bound together by Sharpey's fibres. A tiny amount of movement is permitted at sutures, which contributes to the compliance and elasticity of the skull.
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Dolichorhynchops

Species
  • D. osborni
  • D. herschelensis
Dolichorhynchops is a genus of Polycotylid Plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America, containing two species, D. osborni and D.
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1 metre =
SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
The metre or meter[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
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