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Illustration of the skeletal anatomy of a Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus from Conybeare's 1824 paper that described an almost complete plesiosaur skeleton found by Mary Anning in 1823. Plesiosaurus was a moderately sized plesiosaur that grew to 2.87–3.5 m (9.4–11.5 ft) in length.
The belief that plesiosaurs are dinosaurs is a common misconception, and plesiosaurs are often erroneously depicted as dinosaurs in popular culture. [ 141 ] [ 142 ] It has been suggested that legends of sea serpents and modern sightings of supposed monsters in lakes or the sea could be explained by the survival of plesiosaurs into modern times.
Cryptoclidus was a medium-sized plesiosaur, with the largest individuals measuring up to 4 m (13 ft) long and weighing about 737–756 kg (1,625–1,667 lb). [ 1 ] [ 9 ] The fragile build of the head and teeth preclude any grappling with prey, and suggest a diet of small, soft-bodied animals such as squid and shoaling fish.
On 12 August 2011, researchers from the U.S. described a fossil of a pregnant plesiosaur found on a Kansas ranch in 1987. [11] The plesiosauroid, Polycotylus latippinus , has confirmed that these predatory marine reptiles gave birth to single, large, live offspring—contrary to other marine reptile reproduction which typically involves a large ...
The plesiosaur, considered a successful marine predatory ancient species, may have been aided in its underwater hunting endeavors by turtle-like scales that covered its body -- which scientists ...
Gastroliths were generally either disc-shaped or spherical; the former would've come from beaches and the latter from river mouths. All were composed of chert, as is the case with several other species of plesiosaurs. It is hypothesized that chert stones are specifically sought out by plesiosaurs as gastroliths for their hardness and durability ...
Plesiosaurs were ocean-going reptiles that were contemporaries of the dinosaurs, living from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period. Geology: Prehistoric plesiosaurs were penguins ...
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