Discosaurus

Discosaurus was first named in 1851 by the famous paleontologist Joseph Leidy, based on a single vertebra found in Alabama.13

The name Discosaurus means 'disc lizard', because its vertebrae look like flat discs.1

Only one species of Discosaurus is known, called Discosaurus vetustus.1

Discosaurus lived during the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous, about 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago.2

The holotype of Discosaurus consists of eleven vertebrae, which were discovered by Joseph Jones in Alabama and Mississippi.1

Some scientists think Discosaurus might actually be the same animal as Elasmosaurus or Cimoliasaurus, but others disagree.1

Discosaurus was a plesiosaur, a group of marine reptiles that had long necks and four flippers.1