Plesiosauria Plesiosauria The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, "plesios", meaning "near to" and "sauros", meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of Mesozoic marine reptiles (marine Sauropsida), belonging to the Sauropterygia. Plesiosaurs first appeared in the latest Triassic Period, possibly in the Rhaetian stage, about 203 million years ago. They became especially common during the Jurassic Period, thriving until their disappearance due to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 66 million years ago. They had a worldwide oceanic distribution. Plesiosaurs were among the first fossil reptiles discovered. In the beginning of the nineteenth century,
Llandovery epoch Llandovery epoch In the geological timescale, the Llandovery epoch (from 443.7 ± 1.5 million years ago to 428.2 ± 2.3 million years ago) occurred during the Silurian period. The epoch follows the massive Ordovician-Silurian extinction events; the second largest extinction event after the Permian-Triassic extinction event million of years later. The epoch was named after Llandovery in Wales. The Llandovery epoch is subdivided into three stages: Rhuddanian, Aeronian and Telychian. The Lower Llandovery rocks consist of conglomerates, sandstones and slaty beds. At Llandovery they rest upon Ordovician rocks. These rocks occur with a narrow crop in Pembrokeshire, which curves round