恐龍卡第 0295 張，共 2 027 張

Brachauchenius

名字的意思： “short neck”1

吃：肉蛇頸龍類白堊紀早期到白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Brachauchenius was a huge marine reptile with a big head and a short neck, unlike many other plesiosaurs. It swam in the warm seas of the Late Cretaceous, using its flippers to chase fish and other prey. Even though it looked like a dinosaur, it was actually a plesiosaur, a swimming reptile.1

趣味小知識：這種海生爬蟲類在海裡游泳的時候，恐龍正在陸地上走路。大家都叫牠們恐龍，但牠們其實是爬蟲類的另一個分支。

生存年代

126 到 90 百萬年前3

白堊紀早期到白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

Fossils have been found in the United States (Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Alabama), Colombia, Morocco, and the United Kingdom.3 1

長度

5.3 到 11 m (17 到 36 ft)1 3

體重

2.2 公噸 (4,900 lb)1

最高速度

時速約 25 公里（16 英里）

游泳, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多重？

跟 1.5 台汽車一樣重

跟 2.5 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 61 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 110 隻狗一樣重跟 440 顆西瓜一樣重跟 3 整班小學生一樣重跟 5 隻北極熊一樣重能在 7.2 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Brachauchenius 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Brachauchenius 時速約 25 公里 (16 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Brachauchenius had a skull that was about 90 centimeters (35 inches) long, which is almost as long as a grown-up person's arm.1

Its name means 'short neck' because it had a much shorter neck than most other plesiosaurs, which usually had long, swan-like necks.1

The first fossil was found in 1884 in a quarry in Kansas, USA, and it was later named Brachauchenius lucasi in 1903.1

Brachauchenius lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 100 to 90 million years ago, when the middle of North America was covered by a shallow sea.1 3

Some fossils that were once thought to be Brachauchenius turned out to belong to other animals, like Megacephalosaurus, which had a similar skull.1

Brachauchenius had two pairs of large flippers and a short tail, which helped it swim through the water like a sea lion.1

Brachauchenius 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Brachauchenius 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Brachauchenius 最常被問的問題

?How big was Brachauchenius?

About 5.3 metres (17 feet) long and weighed around 2.2 tonnes (2.4 short tons). One large specimen may have been at least 7 metres (23 feet) long.1 2

?What did Brachauchenius eat?

It ate fish and other prey that it chased in the warm Cretaceous seas. Its large skull and strong jaws helped it catch food.1

?When did Brachauchenius live?

It lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 100 to 90 million years ago.1

?Where was Brachauchenius found?

Fossils have been found in Kansas, USA, and also in Morocco, North Africa. The first fossil was discovered in a quarry near Delphos, Kansas in 1884.1

?Is Brachauchenius a dinosaur?

No, it is not a dinosaur. It is a plesiosaur, a type of marine reptile that swam in the ocean.1

?Why did Brachauchenius have a short neck?

Its name means 'short neck' because it had a much shorter neck than most other plesiosaurs, which usually had long, swan-like necks. This helped it be a powerful swimmer.1

迷思破解王

迷思： Some people think Brachauchenius was a dinosaur because it lived in the sea and looked scary.

真相： Brachauchenius was not a dinosaur. It was a plesiosaur, a type of marine reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs but was not closely related to them.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Brachauchenius
命名者: Williston 19033
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Pliosauridae3
分類: Plesiosauria > Pliosauridae > Sauropterygia3
岩石的年代: 126 到 90 百萬年 (Barremian / Turonian)3
岩層: Greenhorn Limestone, Tropic Shale, Paja3
國家: 美國, 哥倫比亞, 英國, 摩洛哥3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 11 筆3
發現: The first Brachauchenius fossil was found in 1884 by a quarry owner in Kansas, USA. It was later named by Samuel Wendell Williston in 1903, who called it Brachauchenius lucasi after Frederic Lucas.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are still not sure exactly which rock layer the first Brachauchenius fossil came from, because the original notes were not clear.1