Genus
Valid Extinct

Unktaheela

Clark et al. 2024

Unktaheela is an extinct genus of polycotylid plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous Sharon Springs Formation of the United States. The genus contains a single species, U. specta, known from two skulls and partial skeletons. Unktaheela represents the smallest known polycotylid.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
2
Group
Sauroptérygiens
Carnivore aquatic, depth=surface Marine
Unktaheela
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Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Sauropterygia Suborder
›
Plesiosauria Order
›
Plesiosauroidea Superfamily
›
Polycotylidae Family
›
Polycotylinae Subfamily
›
Dolichorhynchia Unranked clade
›
Unktaheela Genus
Fossil sites 2 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
2
Geological formations
Sharon Springs
2
Temporal distribution
Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)
2
Species (1)
Unktaheela specta 84 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
R. O. Clark, F. R. O'Keefe, and S. E. Slack. 2024. A new genus of small polycotylid plesiosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of the Western Interior Seaway and a clarification of the genus Dolichorhynchops. Cretaceous Research 157:105812:1-35 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
R. O. Clark, F. R. O'Keefe, and S. E. Slack. 2024. A new genus of small polycotylid plesiosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of the Western Interior Seaway and a clarification of the genus Dolichorhynchops. Cretaceous Research 157:105812:1-35 DOI ↗