Avettuss

Avettuss is a genus of extinct marine reptiles belonging to the plesiosaurian order. These creatures lived during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 80 to 75 million years ago. Fossils attributed to Avettuss have been discovered in the Western Interior Seaway of North America, specifically in states like Kansas and South Dakota. The genus was first described by paleontologist Samuel Wendell Williston in 1908.

The most notable species within this genus is Avettuss missouriensis. Avettuss was a medium-sized plesiosaur, estimated to be around 3 to 4 meters in length. Like other plesiosaurs, it possessed a long neck, a broad body, and four paddle-like limbs adapted for swimming. Its diet likely consisted of fish and other small marine organisms. The fossils of Avettuss are important for understanding the diversity and evolution of plesiosaurs in the Late Cretaceous oceans of North America, a period characterized by high sea levels and a rich marine ecosystem. The limited fossil record for Avettuss means that many aspects of its biology and evolutionary relationships are still subjects of ongoing scientific research.