恐龍卡第 0574 張，共 2 027 張

Elasmosaurus

名字的意思： “thin-plate reptile”1

吃：肉蛇頸龍類白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

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

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

94 到 72 百萬年前4

白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

Kansas and Wyoming, USA, and Hokkaido, Japan4 1

長度

10.3 m (34 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 22 公里（14 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？

跟 2.5 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 57 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 8.2 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Elasmosaurus 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)

Elasmosaurus 時速約 22 公里 (14 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

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

Elasmosaurus 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Elasmosaurus 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 Elasmosaurus 最常被問的問題

?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.1 2

?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.1 3

?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.1 2

?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

迷思破解王

迷思： Many people think Elasmosaurus could hold its neck high out of the water like a giraffe.

真相： Scientists now know its neck was not flexible enough to lift high; it probably kept its neck low in the water while swimming.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Elasmosaurus
命名者: Cope 18684
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Elasmosauridae4
分類: Plesiosauria > Elasmosauridae > Sauropterygia4
岩石的年代: 94 到 72 百萬年 (Turonian / Campanian)4
岩層: Pierre Shale4
國家: 日本, 美國4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 9 筆4
發現: 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
仍有爭議: 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