PLIOSAUROIDEA

Sauropterygia > Eosauropterygia > Eusauropterygia > (Nothosauriformes) > Plesiosauria > Pliosauroidea

Discussion

Pliosauroids are the superfamily of typical short-necked plesiosaurs; they have a lower number of neck vertebrae and are often distinguishable immediately by their huge skulls. In some genera the skull may reach up to 3 meters in length and constitute about a quarter of the total length of the animal! The clade includes two families (Pliosauridae and Rhomaleosauridae) as well as the basal member Thalassiodracon, which does not belong to either of these families.