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Elasmosaurus - Meaning: Thin-Plated Lizard

Elasmosaurus (eh-LAZZ-mo-SAWR-us) lived during the late Cretaceous period and went extinct during the K-T mass extinction, 65 million years ago. Elasmosaurus was a reptile, but not a dinosaur. They are distinguished by having 2 holes in the rear upper part of their skulls and 2 holes behind the eyes, like all Diapsids.

Elasmosaurus

More About Elasmosaurus

Elasmosaurus measured around 46 feet (14 metres) in length and weighed over 2.2 tons (2,000 kilograms), making it the longest ever plesiosaur species. It had a large body and 4 flippers for limbs. Elasmosaurus had plate-like bones in its pelvic girdle and an extremely long neck. More than half of its length was its neck, which had more than 70 vertebrae, more than any other animal. It had a small head with sharp teeth and most likely ate small bony fish such as belemnites (similar to squid), lepidotes and ammonites (molluscs). It swallowed small stones in order to aid its digestion.


Elasmosaurus lived in the open oceans and breathed air. Elasmosaurus swam slowly using its 4 paddle-like flippers in a manner similar to that of modern turtles. It may have been able to move around on sandy shores, perhaps to lay its eggs.


Elasmosaurus was named by paleontologist E. D. Cope in 1868 (from a fossil was found in Wyoming, USA). Other Elasmosaurus fossils have also been found in North America.

ELASMOSAURUS CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom:
Animalia (animals)
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Sauropsida
Order:
Plesiosauria
Suborder:
Plesiosauroidea
Family:
Elasmosauridae
Genus:
Elasmosaurus
Species:
E. ischiadicus
E. kurskensis
E. marshii
E. nobilis
E. orskensis
E. platyurus
E. serdobensis
E. serpentinus

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