Keichousaurus is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of marine reptile

Reptile

Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...

 in the pachypleurosaur

Pachypleurosaur

Pachypleurosaurs were primitive sauropterygian reptiles that vaguely resembled aquatic lizards, and were limited to the Triassic period. They were elongate animals, ranging in size from 20 cm to about a meter in length, with small heads, long necks, paddle-like limbs, and long deep tails. The...

 family which went extinct at the close of the Triassic

Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...

 in the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event

Triassic-Jurassic extinction event

The Triassic–Jurassic extinction event marks the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic periods, , and is one of the major extinction events of the Phanerozoic eon, profoundly affecting life on land and in the oceans. In the seas a whole class and twenty percent of all marine families...

. The name derives from Kweichow (now Guizhou Province) in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 where the first fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

 specimen was discovered in 1957. They are among the most common sauropterygian fossils recovered and are often found as nearly complete, articulated skeletons, making them popular among collectors. Keichousaurus, and the pachypleurosaur family broadly, are sometimes classified within Nothosauroidea, but are otherwise listed as a separate, more primitive lineage within Sauropterygia.

Description

Keichousaurus, like all sauropterygians, was highly adapted to the aquatic environment. individuals of this genus ranged from 15 - 30 cm in length, and had both long necks and long tails, with elongated, five-toed feet. The pointed head and sharp teeth in this genus also indicate that they were fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

-eaters. Some recovered specimens feature an especially developed ulna

Ulna

The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form and runs parallel to the radius, which is shorter and smaller. In anatomical position The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form...

 suggesting they may have spent some time on land or in marshes.

In addition fossil evidence suggest also a pair of fossilized pregnant marine reptiles called Keichousaurus hui, show they had a mobile pelvis to give birth to live young rather than laying eggs.

Morphology

Keichousaurus hui was found in 1958 in Guizhou, China. This fossil is distinguished by its broad ulna which makes it unlike other European genera. The broad ulna increased the surface area of the forelimbs, making it more effective in locomotion. Keichousaurus shows many characteristics of its family Pachypleurosauridae such as its short snout and elongated temporal openings. Keichousaurus also had a long serpentine neck with a relatively small head and long tail. The anterior caudal vertebrae possess lateral transverse processes. The morphology of Keichousaurus is most like that of Dactylosaurus

Dactylosaurus

Dactylosaurus is a genus of nothosaur in the family Pachypleurosauridae. Along with Anarosaurus, Dactylosaurus was one of the earliest known pachypleurosaurs to come from Europe.-Etymology:...

, showing long and narrow upper temporal openings that extends to the rear of the skull of which is not found in other pachypleurosaurids. Other differences from pachypleurosaurids include Keichousarus' more robust humerus, very broad ulna, and slight hyperphalangy in the manus. The sternum was also lacking in this animal, and the forelimbs were more paddled-shaped, possibly indicating a greater importance of the forelimbs in movement. The pectoral girdle was formed by the paired clavicles, interclavical, scapulae, and coracoids. Keichousaurus was a primitive quadrupedal tetrapod with limbs laterally placed to the body. Different parts of Keichousaurus grew at different rates, a phenomenon called allometric growth.

Locomotion

The locomotion of Keichousaurus probably resembled (in part) the "underwater flight" that plesiosaurs employed. The flattened forelimbs would likely have acted as hydrofoils. The hindlimbs show less specialization, and may therefore have acted as stabilizers and control surfaces, such as is seen in extant sea turtles. The intermediate nature of the limb morphology implies that there was also, to some extent, the kind of 'crawling through the water' seen in small freshwater turtles. The powerfully built pectoral girdle allowed for the attachment of strong muscles, but their location beneath the shoulder favours the underwater flight model. Interestingly, despite the specialization of the limbs, the tail also shows adaptations to an aquatic existence. Lateral transverse processes of the anterior caudal vertebrae show that powerful muscles enabled the tail to beat or at least undulate from side to side. This would imply some distal lateral compression, but this is not recorded in soft-tissue preservation. The long neck was primarily concerned with prey-capture. The combination of powerful limbs and tail would have made K. hui an adept and maneuverable predator.

Reproduction

Although there is no direct evidence, Keichosaurus was ovoviviparous (eggs form and hatch within uterus). Fossil Keichousaurus display a simplified elbow joint and a lack of ossification in the olecranon process of the ulna. This would make crawling up the beach to lay eggs awkward. Specimens at different developmental stages, found in the same type of sediment at the same locality, also support an ovoviviparous reproduction model. However, fossils have been found of female Keichosaurs with fetuses within the lower portion of the thoracic cavity. Their position implies that they are not victims of cannibalism

Cannibalism

Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...

.