恐龍卡第 0987 張，共 2 027 張

Kronosaurus

名字的意思： “lizard of Kronos, the Titan from Greek mythology”1

吃：肉蛇頸龍類白堊紀早期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Kronosaurus was a giant marine reptile that swam in the oceans and inland seas of the Early Cretaceous. It was a pliosaur, a type of short-necked plesiosaur with a huge head and powerful jaws. With its four flippers, it could 'fly' underwater to chase down big prey.2 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

121 到 100 百萬年前4

白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia, Australia; also Boyacá, Colombia2 1 4

長度

9 到 10 m (30 到 33 ft)2

體重

10.6 公噸到 12.1 公噸 (23,400 到 26,700 lb)1

最高速度

時速約 19 公里（12 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 2 頭大象一樣重

跟 2 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 56 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 8 台汽車一樣重跟 2400 顆西瓜一樣重跟 15 整班小學生一樣重跟 27 隻北極熊一樣重能在 9.5 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Kronosaurus 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)

Kronosaurus 時速約 19 公里 (12 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

Kronosaurus had a skull at least 2.4 metres long, which is huge compared to its body length of about 10 metres.2

Its teeth were conical and crushing, perfect for cracking the hard shells of ammonites.2

One Kronosaurus fossil (QM F10113) contains the remains of a sea turtle inside. The turtle was so big that it choked the pliosaur.1

Bite marks on the skull of an elasmosaurid called Eromangasaurus show that Kronosaurus attacked it, probably aiming for the long neck.1

Kronosaurus lived in the cool Eromanga Sea, an inland sea that covered parts of Australia. Glendonites and ice-rafted boulders show the water was near-freezing in winter.2

Unlike long-necked elasmosaurids, pliosaurids like Kronosaurus could cruise at high speed for a long time.2

The first Kronosaurus fossil was a piece of jawbone found in 1899. It was first thought to be from an ichthyosaur.1

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

?How big was Kronosaurus?

Kronosaurus was about 9 to 10 metres long. Early guesses of 13 metres were too big because the skeleton had too many vertebrae.1 2

?Was Kronosaurus a dinosaur?

No, Kronosaurus was a marine reptile called a pliosaur, a type of plesiosaur. It was not a dinosaur.1 2

?What did Kronosaurus eat?

Kronosaurus ate large fish, squid, ammonites, sea turtles, and even other marine reptiles like elasmosaurids and ichthyosaurs.2 1

?How fast could Kronosaurus swim?

Pliosaurids like Kronosaurus could cruise at high speeds for long periods, using all four flippers to 'fly' underwater. Scientists do not know the exact speed.2

?How strong was Kronosaurus' bite?

Its bite force is estimated at 15,000 to 27,000 newtons. That is stronger than any living animal, but less than megalodon.1

?Where did Kronosaurus live?

Kronosaurus lived in the Eromanga Sea, an inland sea that covered parts of Australia during the Early Cretaceous. The water was cold, near freezing in winter.2 1

?When did Kronosaurus live?

Kronosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 125 to 100 million years ago.3

?Did Kronosaurus have feathers?

No, Kronosaurus was a marine reptile with smooth skin and flippers. It did not have feathers.1

迷思破解王

迷思： Kronosaurus was nearly 13 metres long.

真相： Scientists now think it was no more than about 10 metres long. The old 13-metre estimate was based on exaggerated reconstructions.2

給恐龍專家

學名: Kronosaurus
命名者: Longman 19244
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Pliosauridae4
分類: Plesiosauria > Pliosauridae > Sauropterygia4
岩石的年代: 121 到 100 百萬年 (Aptian / Albian)4
岩層: Wallumbilla, Toolebuc, Paja4
國家: 澳洲, 哥倫比亞4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 4 筆4
發現: The first fossil was found in 1899 near Hughenden, Queensland. In 1924, Albert Heber Longman named it Kronosaurus queenslandicus. A famous skeleton was collected by the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology in the early 1930s.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure if the Colombian pliosaur Monquirasaurus boyacensis was really a close relative of Kronosaurus or belongs to a different group.1