Georgiasaurus

Georgiasaurus was a polycotylid, a type of plesiosaur with a short neck and a long head, built for speed.1

The first fossil was a nearly complete skeleton, but it was damaged when workers cut the stone around it.1

Its name was first 'Georgia', but that name was already used for a snake, so scientists changed it to Georgiasaurus.1

Georgiasaurus lived about 85 to 83 million years ago, during the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.2

Scientists think Georgiasaurus gave birth to live young, like many other plesiosaurs.2

The type specimen, POKM 11658, includes seven neck vertebrae, shoulder blades, and two flippers.12