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Polycotylidae

Extinct family of reptiles

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Martinectes bonneri cast skeleton in the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, CO
MCDinosaurhunter · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Through Australia, Japan and Canada

Lab · Class 6–12Archaeology & Discovery

With their short necks and large elongated heads, they resemble the pliosaurs, but phylogenetic studies indicate that they are plesiosauroids, being most closely related to Leptocleididae and more distantly to Elasmosauridae. They have been found worldwide, with specimens reported from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Morocco, the United States, Canada, Eastern Europe, and South America.

Phylogeny

Cladogram after Albright, Gillette and Titus (2007).

Cladogram after Ketchum and Benson (2010).

Below is a cladogram of polycotylid relationships from Ketchum & Benson, 2011.

More in Animals

Monotypic taxonTaxonomic group with only one subordinate taxonSpecies descriptionFormal description of a discovered speciesParaphylyType of taxonomic groupIUCN Red ListInventory of the global conservation status of biological speciesSubtropicsGeographic and climate zoneCommon nameName generally used for a taxon, group of taxa or organism(s)