恐龍卡第 1052 張，共 2 027 張

Libonectes

名字的意思： “southern swimmer”1

吃：肉蛇頸龍類白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Libonectes was a long-necked marine reptile that swam in warm seas during the time of the dinosaurs. It used its strong flippers to paddle through the water and may have swallowed fish and ammonites whole. Fossils show it had a skull that is one of the best preserved of any elasmosaurid plesiosaur.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

100 到 90 百萬年前3

白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

Texas, USA and Er-Rachidia, Morocco1 3

長度

7.2 m (24 ft)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？

跟 7 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 40 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 7.2 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Libonectes 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)

Libonectes 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

Libonectes had a neck that was 5.06 metres (16.6 feet) long, more than two-thirds of its total body length.1

The first fossils were found by a farmer named T.W. Tidwell in the late 1930s in Texas.1

Its skull is the best preserved skull of any elasmosaurid plesiosaur ever found.1

Libonectes lived about 93 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.3

It was originally named Elasmosaurus morgani in 1949, but was given its own genus, Libonectes, in 1997.1

Gastroliths (stomach stones) have been found inside Libonectes fossils, which may have helped it digest food or control its buoyancy in the water.1

Libonectes probably swam slowly and used its large size to trap prey.1

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

?How big was Libonectes?

Libonectes was a medium-sized plesiosaur, about 7.2 metres (24 feet) long. Its neck alone was 5.06 metres (16.6 feet) long.1

?What did Libonectes eat?

Libonectes probably ate small fish and ammonites. It may have swallowed prey whole and used stomach stones to help digest food.1

?Where was Libonectes found?

Fossils of Libonectes have been found in Texas, USA, and in Morocco. This shows it lived in warm seas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.1 2

迷思破解王

迷思： Some people think plesiosaurs like Libonectes could lift their heads and necks high out of the water like a swan.

真相： Scientists now believe their necks were not flexible enough to lift high above the water. They probably held their necks more horizontally while swimming.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Libonectes
命名者: Carpenter 19973
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Elasmosauridae3
分類: Plesiosauria > Elasmosauridae > Sauropterygia3
岩石的年代: 100 到 90 百萬年 (Cenomanian / Turonian)3
岩層: Britton, Akrabou3
國家: 美國, 摩洛哥3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 2 筆3
發現: The first Libonectes fossils were found by tenant farmer T.W. Tidwell in the late 1930s in Texas. Charles Gill Morgan prepared the fossils, and the species was named Elasmosaurus morgani by Welles in 1949. It was reclassified as its own genus Libonectes by Carpenter in 1997.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure whether Libonectes was a pure carnivore or an omnivore, because gastroliths could indicate plant eating or just buoyancy control.1