Luskhan itilensis

Luskhan is an extinct genus of large pliosaurid plesiosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous of western Russia. The only known species is L. itilensis, first described in 2017 from a well-preserved and nearly complete skeleton discovered in the Ulyanovsk region. As an early-diverging brachauchenine, Luskhan consequently exhibits an intermediate combination of traits seen in more basal and more derived pliosaurs. However, Luskhan departs significantly from other pliosaurs in that it exhibits a lack of adaptations in its skull to feeding on large prey; its slender snout, small teeth, and short tooth rows instead indicate a skull adapted for feeding on small, soft prey. With these features, it is the pliosaur that approaches closest to the distantly-related piscivorous polycotylids, having convergently evolved these traits more than 10 million years apart.