Overview

• On August 4, Sachs and Madzia published in PeerJ the formal classification of Plesionectes longicollum as a new genus and species of early Jurassic plesiosaur.
• The nearly complete specimen measures 2.95 meters with a 1.25-meter neck and 0.81-meter tail, indicating an adult length of about 3.5 meters.
• The genus name Plesionectes longicollum, meaning “early swimmer” with a “long neck,” reflects its distinctive morphology.
• Excavated in 1978 at Holzmaden near Stuttgart, the fossil has remained in the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart’s collection without being displayed to the public.
• This discovery adds a crucial data point to understanding marine reptile evolution and ecosystem dynamics in the early Jurassic seas.