Several well preserved clutches of dinosaurs have been discovered in the upper Kimmeridgian/ Tithonian of Lourinhã (Estramadur Province, Portugal). Some eggs of one clutch contained embryo elements of a theropod dinosaur. The egg-shell resembles that of eggs which have been discovered in the Upper Jurassic of Colorado

We report a new specimen of the plesiosaur Cardiocorax mukulu that includes the most complete plesiosaur skull from sub-Saharan Africa. The well-preserved three-dimensional nature of the skull offers rare insight into the cranial anatomy of elasmosaurid plesiosaurians. The new specimen of Cardiocorax mukulu was recovered from Bentiaba, Namibe Province in Angola, approximately three meters above the holotype. The new specimen also includes an atlas-axis complex, seventeen postaxial cervical vertebrae, partial ribs, a femur, and limb elements. It is identified as Cardiocorax mukulu based on an apomorphy shared with the holotype where the cervical neural spine is approximately as long anteroposteriorly as the centrum and exhibits a sinusoidal anterior margin. The new specimen is nearly identical to the holotype and previously referred material in all other aspects. Cardiocorax mukulu is returned in an early-branching or intermediate position in Elasmosauridae in four out of the six of our phylogenetic analyses. Cardiocorax mukulu lacks the elongated cervical vertebrae that is characteristic of the extremely long-necked elasmosaurines, and the broad skull with and a high number of maxillary teeth (28–40) which is characteristic of Aristonectinae. Currently, the most parsimonious explanation concerning elasmosaurid evolutionary relationships, is that Cardiocorax mukulu represents an older lineage of elasmosaurids in the Maastrichtian.

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THE CRETACEOUS SKELETON COAST OF ANGOLA JACOBS, Louis, SMU, Dallas, TX, USA; POLCYN, Michael, SMU, Dallas, TX, USA; MATEUS, Octávio, Museu da Lourinhã, Lourinhã, Portugal; SCHULP, Anne, Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands; NETO, André , Universidade Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola Cretaceous coastal sediments of Angola present a rich and diverse fauna of marine amniotes, including turtles, mosasaurs, and plesiosaurs. The abundance of mosasaurs in particular suggests a highly productive coastal area. Angola today lies at the northern limit of the Namibian Desert, the so-called Skeleton Coast, which results from prevailing southeasterly winds of the descending limb of the southern Hadley Cell sweeping across the African coast. The Benguela upwelling and a highly productive sea are found today off the Namibian Desert coast. However, the Benguela upwelling system, based on results of DSDP studies, is said to have originated in the late Neogene and therefore cannot explain the productivity found along the length of the West African coast. The explanation is found in the northward drift of Africa through the arid climate zone, and is demonstrated by the tracing of the paleogeographic position of fossil localities through time.

We here present fossil Crocodylomorpha eggshells from the Upper Jurassic Lourinhã Formation of Portugal, recovered from five sites: one nest from Cambelas with 13 eggs, and three partial eggs and various fragments from, Paimogo N (I), Paimogo S (II), Casal da Rola, and Peralta. All specimens but the nest were found in association with dinosaur egg material. Our research reveals that on a micro- and ultrastructural analysis, all samples present the typical characters consistent with crocodiloid eggshell morphotype, such as the shell unit shape, the organization of the eggshell layers, and the triangular blocky extinction observed with crossed nicols. We assign the material from the Lourinhã Formation to the oofamily Krokolithidae, making it the oldest crocodylomorph eggs known so far, as well as the best record for eggs of non- crocodylian crocodylomorphs. Furthermore, our study indicates that the basic structure of crocodiloid eggshells has remained stable since at least the Upper Jurassic.

We here present fossil Crocodylomorpha eggshells from the Upper Jurassic Lourinhã Formation of Portugal, recovered from five sites: one nest from Cambelas with 13 eggs, and three partial eggs and various fragments from, Paimogo N (I), Paimogo S (II), Casal da Rola, and Peralta. All specimens but the nest were found in association with dinosaur egg material. Our research reveals that on a micro- and ultrastructural analysis, all samples present the typical characters consistent with crocodiloid eggshell morphotype, such as the shell unit shape, the organization of the eggshell layers, and the triangular blocky extinction observed with crossed nicols. We assign the material from the Lourinhã Formation to the oofamily Krokolithidae, making it the oldest crocodylomorph eggs known so far, as well as the best record for eggs of non- crocodylian crocodylomorphs. Furthermore, our study indicates that the basic structure of crocodiloid eggshells has remained stable since at least the Upper Jurassic.

ABSTRACTCyclotosaurus naraserluki, sp. nov., is a new Late Triassic capitosaurid amphibian from lacustrine deposits in the Fleming Fjord Formation of the Jameson Land Basin in Greenland. It is based on a fairly complete and well-preserved skull associated with two vertebral intercentra. Previously reported as Cyclotosaurus cf. posthumus, C. naraserluki is unique among cyclotosaurs for having the postorbitals embaying the supratemporals posteromedially. The anterior palatal vacuity presents an autapomorphic complete subdivision by a wide medial premaxillary-vomerine bony connection. The parasphenoid projects between the pterygoids and the exoccipitals, preventing a suture between the two, a primitive condition shared with Rhinesuchidae, Eryosuchus, and Kupferzellia. Within Cyclotosaurus, the Greenlandic skull has a distinctive combination of circular choanae (shared with C. ebrachensis, C. posthumus, and C. robustus) and a convex posteromedial margin of the tabulars (also present in C. ebrachensis and C. intermedius). A phylogenetic analysis indicates that C. naraserluki is the sister taxon of the middle Norian C. mordax from southern Germany, with which it shares a pair of premaxillary foramina. Cyclotosaurus is one of the most successful and diverse genera of Late Triassic temnospondyls, with at least eight species reported from middle Carnian to late Norian. Cyclotosaurus naraserluki is the largest amphibian ever reported from Greenland and one of the Late Triassic vertebrates with the highest northern paleolatitude currently known.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:43AAA541-031C-4EE1-B819-4846EBBD1BBBSUPPLEMENTAL DATA?Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVPCitation for this article: Marzola, M., O. Mateus, N. H. Shubin, and L. B. Clemmensen. 2017. Cyclotosaurus naraserluki, sp. nov., a new Late Triassic cyclotosaurid (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) from the Fleming Fjord Formation of the Jameson Land Basin (East Greenland). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2017.1303501.ABSTRACTCyclotosaurus naraserluki, sp. nov., is a new Late Triassic capitosaurid amphibian from lacustrine deposits in the Fleming Fjord Formation of the Jameson Land Basin in Greenland. It is based on a fairly complete and well-preserved skull associated with two vertebral intercentra. Previously reported as Cyclotosaurus cf. posthumus, C. naraserluki is unique among cyclotosaurs for having the postorbitals embaying the supratemporals posteromedially. The anterior palatal vacuity presents an autapomorphic complete subdivision by a wide medial premaxillary-vomerine bony connection. The parasphenoid projects between the pterygoids and the exoccipitals, preventing a suture between the two, a primitive condition shared with Rhinesuchidae, Eryosuchus, and Kupferzellia. Within Cyclotosaurus, the Greenlandic skull has a distinctive combination of circular choanae (shared with C. ebrachensis, C. posthumus, and C. robustus) and a convex posteromedial margin of the tabulars (also present in C. ebrachensis and C. intermedius). A phylogenetic analysis indicates that C. naraserluki is the sister taxon of the middle Norian C. mordax from southern Germany, with which it shares a pair of premaxillary foramina. Cyclotosaurus is one of the most successful and diverse genera of Late Triassic temnospondyls, with at least eight species reported from middle Carnian to late Norian. Cyclotosaurus naraserluki is the largest amphibian ever reported from Greenland and one of the Late Triassic vertebrates with the highest northern paleolatitude currently known.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:43AAA541-031C-4EE1-B819-4846EBBD1BBBSUPPLEMENTAL DATA?Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVPCitation for this article: Marzola, M., O. Mateus, N. H. Shubin, and L. B. Clemmensen. 2017. Cyclotosaurus naraserluki, sp. nov., a new Late Triassic cyclotosaurid (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) from the Fleming Fjord Formation of the Jameson Land Basin (East Greenland). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2017.1303501.

In the early 20thcentury, Belgian naturalists reported Paleocene and Eocene sharks, the bothremydid pleurodiran turtleTaphosphrys(formerlyBantuchelys), and a neosuchian and the dyrosaurid crocodyliformCongosaurusfrom coastal outcrops near Landana in the northern province of Cabinda, Angola. In 1935, rare and fragmentary mammals were reported from strata at Malembo Point, south of Landana, and originally considered to be Miocene in age. Subsequent re-identification of the mammal fossils suggested that the Malembo deposits are Lower Oligocene based on the presence of an arsinoithere and hyracoids. An anthropoid canine, originally identified as a carnivore incisor, was also recognized. In four recent expeditions to Cabinda, Projecto PaleoAngola has traced and measured the stratigraphy between Landana and Malembo Point and sampled these deposits for pollen, stable isotopes, detrital zircons, paleomagnetic stratigraphy, and for U/Pb dating of bones, teeth, and coprolites. Although the faunas from all Cabinda localities are dominated by sharks and rays, new discoveries from Landana include a complete cheloniid cryptodire turtle skull, a small snake vertebra, and a bird bone. Discoveries from the Malembo level include a narrow-snouted crocodyliform similar toCongosaurusandEuthecodon, an arsinoithere anterior tooth, an upper molar similar to that of the ptolemaiidanKelba, an unidentified mammalian incisor, and a large primate-like premolar. Recent biostratigraphic advances in East Africa and the new fossil discoveries in Cabinda suggest similarity to late Oligocene faunas in Ethiopia and Kenya, although the large primate-like premolar is unique. To this day, the fossil localities of Malembo provide the only coastal, low latitude, low elevation record of West African Cenozoic terrestrial mammals. https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Paper232115.html

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The amniote eggshell functions as a respiratory structure adapted for the optimal transmission of respiratory gasses to and from the embryo according to its physiological requirements. Therefore amniotes with higher oxygen requirements, such as those that sustain higher metabolic rates, can be expected to have eggshells that can maintain a greater gas flux to and from the egg. Studies of extant amniotes have found that eggshells of reduced porosity impose a limit on the metabolic rate of the offspring. Here we show a highly significant relationship between metabolic rates and eggshell porosity in extant amniotes that predicts highly endothermic metabolic rates in dinosaurs. This study finds the eggshell porosity of extant endotherms to be significantly higher than that of extant ectotherms. Eggshell porosity values of dinosaurs are found to be significantly higherthan that of extant ectotherms, but not extant endotherms. Dinosaur eggshells are commonly preserved in the fossil record, and porosity may be readily identified and measured. This provides a simple tool to identify metabolic rates in extinct egg-laying tetrapods whose eggs possessed a mineralized shell