Georgiasaurus

Georgiasaurus ("Georgy's lizard"; after V. A. Otschev's father, Georgy Otschev, a geodesist who died shortly before Otschev published the description in 1976)^[1] is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Russia. Otschev (or Ochev) originally named the specimen Georgia, but that name was preoccupied by the colubrid snake Georgia Baird & Girard, 1853. Originally a complete skeleton, the specimen, holotype POKM 11658 consisting of seven neck vertebrae, vertebral impressions, both scapulae and two limbs, was damaged in preparation of the quarry stone. It was found near the village of Zatolokino.

Georgiasaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Life restoration
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	†Sauropterygia
Order:	†Plesiosauria
Family:	†Polycotylidae
Subfamily:	†Polycotylinae
Genus:	†Georgiasaurus Otschev, 1977
Species
†G. penzensis
Synonyms
Georgia penzensis

It was a fairly large polycotylid, measuring 4–5 m (13–16 ft) long.^[2] Gregory S. Paul estimated its weight at 450 kg (990 lb).^[3]

See also

• Paleontology portal

• List of plesiosaur genera
• Timeline of plesiosaur research

References

1. V. G. Otschev. 1976. "A new pliosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Penza Province". Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal 2:135-138
2. Glenn W. Storrs; Maxim S. Arkhangel'skii; Vladmir M. Efimov (2003). "11 – Mesozoic Marine Reptiles of Russia and Other Former Soviet Republics". In Michael J. Benton; Mikhail A. Shishkin; David M. Unwin; Evgenii N. Kurochkin (eds.). The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge University Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0521545822.
3. Paul, Gregory S. (2022). The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles. Princeton University Press. p. 122. ISBN 9780691193809.