Plotosaurus
Plotosaurus was a giant marine lizard that swam in the oceans during the time of the dinosaurs. It was one of the fastest and most advanced swimmers among all mosasaurs, with a sleek body and powerful tail.1
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Fun facts
Plotosaurus had a streamlined body and narrow flippers, making it look a bit like a modern dolphin or an ichthyosaur.1
Some of its tail vertebrae were fused together, which helped it swim more efficiently.1
It had large eyes, so it probably had excellent vision for spotting prey.1
Plotosaurus was one of the most advanced mosasaurs, with the highest level of aquatic adaptations in its family.1
Fossils of Plotosaurus have been found in Japan, suggesting it lived in the Pacific Ocean on both sides.2
The first fossils were discovered by a high school student named Allan Bennison in California in 1936.1
Most asked questions about Plotosaurus
?How big was Plotosaurus?
An immature Plotosaurus with a 46 cm skull was about 4.2 metres (14 feet) long. Adults with a 1 metre skull would have been larger.1
?Was Plotosaurus a dinosaur?
No, Plotosaurus was a mosasaur, which is a type of marine lizard that lived during the time of dinosaurs. It was not a dinosaur.1
?What did Plotosaurus eat?
Plotosaurus was a fast, pursuit predator that likely ambushed fish and other marine animals. Its large eyes gave it keen eyesight for spotting prey.1
?How fast could Plotosaurus swim?
Plotosaurus was one of the fastest mosasaurs, thanks to its streamlined body, narrow flippers, and a tail fin similar to ichthyosaurs.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Plotosaurus
- Named by
- Camp 19513
- Group
- Mosasaurs
- Family / clade
- Mosasauridae3
- Classification
- Mosasauroidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)3
- Rock formations
- Moreno, Isoai, Hiraiso3
- Countries
- USA, Japan, Chile3
- Fossil records
- 9 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Plotosaurus was first named Kolposaurus in 1942 by paleontologist Charles Lewis Camp, but he changed it to Plotosaurus in 1951 because the name was already taken. The fossils were found in California by a student and others.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure if Plotosaurus lived only in North America or also in other parts of the Pacific, because some fossils from Japan and Chile might belong to this genus.12
Where the facts come from
- Plotosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Advanced mosasaurs from the Upper Cretaceous Nakaminato Group in Japan (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
- Plotosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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