Dino card No. 0527 of 2,027

Dolichorhynchops

Say it: DOL-ih-koh-RIN-kops

Name means: “long-nosed face”1

Ate: MeatPlesiosaursLate CretaceousNot technically a dinosaur

Dolichorhynchops was a small, fast-swimming marine reptile that lived in the Late Cretaceous seas. It had a long snout and a short neck, and it used its four flippers to chase after fish and squid.1

Fun fact: this sea reptile swam while dinosaurs walked on land. Everyone calls them dinos, but they were a different branch of reptiles.

Lived

94 to 66 million years ago5

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Kansas, South Dakota, and Wyoming in the USA; Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada; also Poland and Russia5 1

Food

Meat5 1

Length

3 m1

about 3 metres for D. osborni; some specimens may have been larger

Weight

425 kg1

estimate for FHSM VP-404 (D. osborni)

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 14 big dogs

as long as 3 dogs nose to tailas long as 17 bananas end to endas heavy as 85 watermelons

How big was Dolichorhynchops compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Dolichorhynchops was a plesiosaur, but unlike the long-necked plesiosaurs, it had a short neck and a big head.1

The first fossil of Dolichorhynchops was found by a teenager, George Fryer Sternberg, in Kansas around 1900.1

Its name means 'long-nosed face' because of its long, narrow snout.1

Dolichorhynchops lived in the Western Interior Seaway, a shallow sea that split North America in two during the Cretaceous.1

Scientists used to think some larger specimens were a different species, but now they are placed in a separate genus called Martinectes.1 2

A 2023 study moved two other former Dolichorhynchops species into new genera: Martinectes and Scalamagnus.1 2

AI-made picture of Dolichorhynchops — An AI-made picture of how Dolichorhynchops might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Dolichorhynchops

?How big was Dolichorhynchops?

Dolichorhynchops was a relatively small plesiosaur, measuring around 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. Some estimates range from 2.5 to 3 metres (8.2 to 9.8 ft).1 3

?What did Dolichorhynchops eat?

It ate fish and squid. Its long, narrow jaws were filled with sharp teeth to grab prey, which it swallowed whole.4 3

?Was Dolichorhynchops a dinosaur?

No, it was a marine reptile called a plesiosaur, not a dinosaur. It lived in the seas during the Late Cretaceous.1 4

?When did Dolichorhynchops live?

It lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 87 to 72 million years ago. Fossils are found in North America.1

?Could Dolichorhynchops swim fast?

Yes, it was a quick and agile swimmer. It used its long, paddle-like flippers to 'fly' through the water like a penguin.4

?Did Dolichorhynchops give birth to live young?

Yes, fossils have been found with unborn babies inside, strong evidence that it gave birth to live young.4

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Dolichorhynchops
Named by: Williston 19025
Group: Plesiosaurs
Family / clade: Polycotylidae5
Classification: Plesiosauria > Sauropterygia5
Age of the rocks: 94 to 66 million years (Turonian / Maastrichtian)5
Rock formations: Niobrara, Pierre Shale, Mesaverde5
Countries: USA, Canada, Poland, Russia5
Fossil records: 14 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: The first specimen was found by teenage fossil hunter George Fryer Sternberg in Kansas around 1900. It was named Dolichorhynchops osborni by Samuel Wendell Williston in 1902.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether some large polycotylid specimens from Wyoming belong to Dolichorhynchops or to a different genus.1

Where the facts come from

Dolichorhynchops (en.wikipedia.org)
A new genus of small polycotylid plesiosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of the Western Interior Seaway and a clarification of the genus Dolichorhynchops (sciencedirect.com)
Herschel Short-necked Plesiosaur (royalsaskmuseum.ca)
Sea Monster Pictures, Dolichorhynchops Photos, Facts, Desktop Wallpaper, Animals Reports, News, Info - National Geographic | National Geographic (nationalgeographic.com)
Dolichorhynchops in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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