Pliosaurus, Xiphactinus and Araripichthys Venezuela

THE WESTERN REGION OF THE MESOZOIC. VENEZUELA

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#paleo #environmental recreation of part of the marine fauna of the Venezuelan Cretaceous, around the La Luna Formations of Trujillo State and Apon Formations of Zulia State. In the image, a fish Araripicthys axelrodi is chased by a Bulldog fish Xiphactinus sp, which in turn is surprised by a Pliosaurus sp. A portrait of life on the shallow coasts of both regions, then below sea level.

The saurocid reptile based on dental material and the "Bulldog" teleost fish were collected from cement quarries in the state of Trujillo, both dated to the Cenomanian of the Upper Cretaceous period. So they will most likely share a habitat.

For its part, the colorful Araripichthys, although it was dated as older, from the Aptian of the Lower Cretaceous, there is a record of the persistence of the genus until the Turonian of the Upper Cretaceous. So it could also coexist with the previous ones.

Recreation carried out based on the work of #paleontologists John M. Moody and G. Maisey (Araripichthys fish). And Jorge C. Briceño (Pliosaurus and Xiphactinus), joint research with Dylan Bastians, Daniel Madzia and Sven Sachs, for the first; Jesús A. Ortega and Carlos Torres, for the second.