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Concept
Kronosaurus
Summary
Kronosaurus (ˌkrɒnoʊˈsɔːrəs ; meaning "lizard of Kronos") is an extinct and potentially dubious genus of short-necked pliosaurs that lived during the Early Cretaceous period (Aptian to Late Albian) in what is now Australia. One species is known, K. queenslandicus, described in 1924 from a partial fossil discovered in Queensland (hence its name). The rare other fossils traditionally attributed to the genus indicate that the animal should have reached a size approaching in length.
The relevance of this taxon is problematic due to the fragmentary nature of the holotype, which is a partial mandibular symphysis. Several specimens, including more or less complete skeletons, have been assigned to the genus and have been proposed as neotypes, but without any confirmation from ICZN. Additionally, some of these specimens have been moved to different genera, making the validity of Kronosaurus even more uncertain.
The fossil record shows that Kronosaurus lived in an inland sea that reached rather cold temperatures. Some animal fossils from the Toolebuc Formation, where Kronosaurus is known, show explicit bite marks possibly from the latter, indicating that it would have been one of the main predators of this area.
The first known specimen of Kronosaurus was discovered in 1899 in the town of Hughenden, Queensland, Australia, by Andrew Crombie, and consists of a partial mandibular symphysis bearing six conical teeth. After this discovery, Crombie donated the fossil to the Queensland Museum and was cataloged under the code name QM F1609. 25 years later, in 1924, Albert Heber Longman published a paper that identified the specimen as the holotype of a new genus and species of a pliosaur, which he named Kronosaurus queenslandicus. The etymology of the binomial name comes from the Ancient Greek Κρόνος (Krónos, "Kronos"), a Titan from the Greek mythology, and σαῦρος (saûros, "lizard"), to literally give "lizard of Kronos", in reference to the imposing size and the possible ferocity of the animal.
Official source
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