Sexual dimorphism in large-sized, long-snout ichthyosaurs
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - 10:00
in Paleontology & Archaeology
A large number of large-sized long-snout ichthyosaur skeletons have been excavated from Guanling, Guizhou and adjacent areas since 2000. Totally 14 specimens had been described and reported often as different genera and species. Recently, based on the similarity of the cranial morphology, all of these specimens were assigned to one species, Shastasaurus tangae. The evidence of live birth is abundantly known among ichthyopterygians. Unfortunately, males and females cannot be identified directly because the gravid specimen is still lack in Shastasaurus tangae.