#Paleontologists Identify Oldest-Known Mega-Predatory #Pliosaur https://www.sci.news/paleontology/lorrainosaurus-keileni-12378.html

The rise of #macropredatory #pliosaurids near the Early-Middle #Jurassic transition https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-43015-y

"#Pliosaurs were a type of short-necked #plesiosaurs: marine #reptiles built for speed compared to their long-necked cousins... They were ecological equivalents of today’s #KillerWhales and would have eaten a range of prey including squid-like #cephalopods, large #fish and other #MarineReptiles."