Elasmosaurus
Elasmosaurus was a giant marine reptile with an incredibly long neck, longer than a school bus! It swam in the ancient sea that once covered the middle of North America, using its four flippers to paddle through the water.1
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Datos curiosos
Elasmosaurus had 72 bones in its neck, which was about 7.1 meters (23 feet) long, making it one of the longest-necked animals ever.1
The first Elasmosaurus fossil was found in 1867 near Fort Wallace, Kansas, by a military doctor named Theophilus Turner.1
The scientist who named Elasmosaurus, Edward Drinker Cope, made a famous mistake: he put the skull on the tail end of the skeleton!1
Elasmosaurus lived about 80.6 to 77 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period, in a shallow sea called the Western Interior Seaway.1
Despite its long neck, Elasmosaurus could not lift its head high above the water like a swan; its neck was not very flexible.1
Elasmosaurus may have used stomach stones, called gastroliths, to help grind up food in its belly.1
The name Elasmosaurus means 'thin-plate reptile', referring to the flat bones in its chest and hips.1

As preguntas máis frecuentes sobre Elasmosaurus
?How big was Elasmosaurus?
Elasmosaurus was about 10.3 meters (34 feet) long, with its neck alone around 7.1 meters (23 feet). That is longer than a school bus.1
?What did Elasmosaurus eat?
Elasmosaurus probably ate small fish and marine invertebrates, seizing them with its long teeth. It may have used stomach stones to help digest its food.12
?Was Elasmosaurus a dinosaur?
No, Elasmosaurus was a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea. It was not a dinosaur, though it lived during the time of dinosaurs.13
?Could Elasmosaurus lift its neck out of water?
No, Elasmosaurus could not raise its head and neck high above the water like a swan. Its neck was too heavy and not flexible enough, so it could only lift its head above water in very shallow water.1
?How many neck bones did Elasmosaurus have?
Elasmosaurus had 72 neck vertebrae, which is the second largest number known in any animal. Its relative Albertonectes had even more, with at least 75.1
?Where did Elasmosaurus live?
Elasmosaurus lived in the Western Interior Seaway, a shallow sea that covered the middle of North America about 80.6 to 77 million years ago. Its fossils have been found in Kansas, USA.1
?Why did Elasmosaurus have such a long neck?
Scientists are not sure why Elasmosaurus had such a long neck. It may have helped in feeding, perhaps by sneaking up on prey, but the exact reason is unknown.12
?What was Cope's mistake with Elasmosaurus?
Edward Drinker Cope, who named Elasmosaurus, mistakenly put the skull on the tail end of the skeleton in his reconstruction. This famous error was pointed out by his rival Othniel Charles Marsh.1
Cazamitos
Mito: Many people think Elasmosaurus could hold its neck high out of the water like a giraffe.
Verdade: Scientists now know its neck was not flexible enough to lift high; it probably kept its neck low in the water while swimming.1
Para expertos en dinos
- Nome científico
- Elasmosaurus
- Bautizado por
- Cope 18684
- Grupo
- Plesiosauros
- Familia / clado
- Elasmosauridae4
- Clasificación
- Plesiosauria > Elasmosauridae > Sauropterygia4
- Idade das rochas
- de 94 a 72 millóns de anos (Turonian / Campanian)4
- Formacións rochosas
- Pierre Shale4
- Países
- Xapón, EUA4
- Rexistros fósiles
- 9 na Paleobiology Database4
- Descubrimento
- Elasmosaurus was named in 1868 by American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, based on a partial skeleton found in Kansas. The fossil was dug out of shale and shipped to Philadelphia in crates.1
- Aínda en debate
- Scientists are still not sure exactly what Elasmosaurus used its extremely long neck for, though it may have helped it catch prey on the seafloor or surprise fish.1
De onde veñen os datos
- Elasmosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- BBC - Science & Nature - Sea Monsters - Fact File: Elasmosaurus (bbc.co.uk)
- Fossil Focus: Elasmosaurs – PALAEONTOLOGY[online] (palaeontologyonline.com)
- Elasmosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): idade, lugares, formacións rochosas, clasificación.
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