Common Oaruwyrm

Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus

Common Oaruwyrm

“ A different animal from West Asia's and Europe's prehistoric waters. A Plesiosaurus... It has a flat body, an extended tail, and four strong flippers that aid in its ability to float in the water. ”

– Christopher Michael Pratt

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Superorder: Sauropterygia

Order: Plesiosauria

Superfamily: Plesiosauroidea

Family: Plesiosauridae

Genus: †Plesiosaurus

Species: †Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus

Descendant: Plesiosauridae

Named by: Arthur R.I Cruickshank and Fordyce, R. Ewan

Year Published: 2002

Size: 7 metres (23 ft) long and weighed 1.5 metric tons (1.7 short tons)

Lifespan: 15 to 30 years

Type: Reptiles (Plesiosaurs)

Title: 

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian

Time Period:  Early Jurassic, 199.6–175.6 MYA BCE

Alignment: Neutral

Threat Level: ★★★★

Diet: Carnivorous

Elements: Water

Inflicts: Waterblight

Weaknesses: Electric, leaf, sound

Casualties: ???

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: 

Common Oaruwyrm (Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus) is the extinct species of plesiosaur first discovered in England during 19th century.

Etymology

Oaruwyrm is the Modern English word for "oar wyrm".


It was so-named ("near lizard"; Greek: πλησίος (plesios), near to + σαῦρος (sauros), lizard) by William Conybeare and Henry De la Beche, to indicate that it was more like a normal reptile than Ichthyosaurus, which had been found in the same rock strata just a few years earlier. 

Physical Appearance

It is distinguishable by its small head, long and slender neck, broad turtle-like body, a short tail with short backward wave-like tailfin, and two pairs of large, elongated paddles as limbs. The two rami of the lower jaw make a "V" shape with an angle of about 45°. The specialized region where they meet, the symphysis, is robust. The two rami are fused at the symphysis, making a pointed, shallow scoop-like shape.


The teeth of Plesiosaurus are "simple, needle-like cones" that are "slightly curved and circular in transverse section". They are sharply pointed with fine striations running from tip to base, and point forward (procumbent). This procumbency becomes more pronounced near the leading end of the skull, where they may be only 10–15° above horizontal. There are 20 to 25 teeth per upper jaw tooth row, and 24 per low jaw tooth row. Up to four teeth of a lower jaw's tooth row are found in the symphyseal region.

Abilities

Plesiosaurs had a short tail and a wide, flat body. Four long flippers that were powered by powerful muscles were the result of the evolution of their limbs, which were large bony plates made of the shoulder girdle and the pelvis. Through the water, the flippers moved like wings. Plesiosaurs had living young, breathed air, and there is evidence that they had a warm-blooded metabolism. The unprepossessing way that some plesiosaurs deal with potential predators—if they approach too close, the plesiosaur spits foul-smelling stomach oil or water at them—is one of its secrets.

Ecology

Plesiosaurus fed mainly on clams and snails, and is thought to have eaten belemnites, squids, fish and other prey as well. Its U-shaped jaw and sharp teeth would have been like a fish trap. It propelled itself by the paddles, the tail being too short to be of much use. Its neck could have been used as a rudder when navigating during a chase. Plesiosaurus gave live birth to live young in the water like sea snakes. The young might have lived in estuaries before moving out into the open ocean. It has been postulated that the long neck of Plesiosaurus would have been a hindrance when trying to speed up, any bend in the neck creating turbulences.

Behavior

As discussed above, plesiosaurs might have had social bonds with 'friends' and relatives, but they might been aggressive too, and maybe with some species mostly behaving aggressively towards conspecifics.

Distribution and Habitat

Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus fossils that are unmistakable are only found in the Lyme Regis region of Dorset. It seems to be the most prevalent plesiosaur species in England's Lias Group. The greatest places to find Plesiosaurus are the "upper part of the Blue Lias, the 'Shales with Beef,' and the lower Black Ven Marls," the latter of which is a part of the Charmouth Mudstone. These rocks are dated to the early Sinemurian stage using ammonite fossil zones from the Lias Group. Subsequent Sinemurian rocks contain a few additional Plesiosaurus fossils. A skull that is believed to have originated from late Rhaetian or early Hettangian rocks could be the oldest specimen. Plesiosaurus inhabits Europe, but only on coral reefs and areas close to the coast.


Tamed

Since the survivor is always within 8 radius of the egg sac hatching, all plesiosaurs are instantly domesticated when they emerge from an egg sac. A whip, fish flesh, mollusk meat, or fish eggs can all be used to tame a plesiosaur if it isn't already trained when it is born.

Lore

No Way to Seaway - 66,000,000,000 BCE-2019 AD

Princess Meranie and Duke Ronaldo's Sundrop and Moonstone magic, as well as being manipulated by Pieces of Eden or Terran Old Artifacts, allowed the Kaiwhekea and other Late Cretaceous organisms to target and breed great white sharks somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, from the Osaka region to the city of Auckland.

Known Individuals

Gallery

Foreign Languages

Trivia