Oryctos
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Accès privé :
| volume 1, 1998 |
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Eric W.A. Mulder, John W.M. Jagt, Marcel M.M. Kuypers, Hans H.G. Peeters & Peggy Rompen. Preliminary observations on the stratigraphic distribution of Late Cretaceous marine and terrestrial reptiles from the Maastrichtian type area (SE Netherlands, NE
Despite the fact that many Late Cretaceous marine fossils from the Maastrichtian type area, and reptiles in particular, have become famous worldwide, the stratigraphic ranges of most of the species represented are still poorly known. In recent years, much progress has been made on the litho- and biostratigraphic subdivision of Campanian and Maastrichtian strata in the area. This makes it possible to collect stratigraphically well-documented material from the various working and disused quarries and natural outcrops in that area. In turn, these collections enable the ranges of the various taxa to be determined much more precisely. Naturally, collections made in the nineteenth century often suffer from lack of stratigraphic data. This is especially unfortunate since they comprise many type specimens. To make matters worse, specimens have often been completely freed from the matrix, making modern analyses of foraminiferal and/or bioclast contents impossible. The present paper summarises current knowledge of the stratigraphic distribution of marine as well as terrestrial reptiles known from the type area of the Maastrichtian Stage. This picture will undoubtedly be refined as field work continues; projects under way include an analysis of the distribution of possible prey items of mosasaur taxa and the description of juvenile turtles and mosasaurs.
Keywords: Reptiles, Late Cretaceous, Belgium, the Netherlands, stratigraphy.
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