恐龍卡第 1148 張，共 2 027 張

Mauriciosaurus

名字的意思： “Mauricio's lizard, named after Mauricio Fernández”1

吃：肉蛇頸龍類白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Mauriciosaurus was a short-necked plesiosaur that swam in the warm seas of Mexico 90 million years ago. It had a streamlined body and four flippers, and its fossil is so well preserved that scientists could see its skin and muscles!1 4

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 90 百萬年前4

白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

Vallecillo, Nuevo León, Mexico1

長度

1.9 m (6.2 ft)2

體重

79 kg (174 lb)3

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？

牠有多重？

跟 4 隻狗一樣重

跟 4 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 11 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 16 顆西瓜一樣重跟 4 個幼兒園小朋友一樣重跟 2.5 個小學生一樣重能在 8.2 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Mauriciosaurus 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)

Mauriciosaurus 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

Mauriciosaurus is the first complete polycotylid plesiosaur ever found in Mexico.1

Its fossil preserves soft tissues like skin, muscles, and even scale-like structures, which is extremely rare for plesiosaurs.1

The body shape from the preserved soft tissues suggests it swam at speeds similar to modern leatherback turtles.1

It lived during the Early Turonian stage of the Late Cretaceous, about 93.9 to 89.8 million years ago.4

The fossil was discovered in 2011 by workmen in a limestone quarry near Vallecillo, Mexico.1

Mauriciosaurus had a flipper span of 1.15 meters (3.8 feet), making it a relatively small plesiosaur.2

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

?How big was Mauriciosaurus?

About 1.9 to 2.1 metres long, with a flipper span of 1.15 metres. It was a relatively small plesiosaur.3 1

?What did Mauriciosaurus eat?

Scientists don't know for sure, but as a polycotylid plesiosaur it likely ate fish and other small marine animals.3

?Could Mauriciosaurus swim fast?

Yes. Its body shape and soft tissues suggest it swam at speeds similar to modern leatherback turtles, making it a fast swimmer.3 1

?Is Mauriciosaurus a dinosaur?

No. Mauriciosaurus is a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea, not a dinosaur.3

給恐龍專家

學名: Mauriciosaurus
命名者: Frey et al. 20174
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Polycotylidae4
分類: Plesiosauria > Sauropterygia4
岩石的年代: 94 到 90 百萬年 (Turonian)4
岩層: Agua Nueva4
國家: 墨西哥4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆4
發現: Mauriciosaurus was named in 2017 by Frey and colleagues based on a nearly complete skeleton found in 2011 by quarry workers in Vallecillo, Mexico. The species name fernandezi honors Mauricio Fernández, a Mexican paleontology enthusiast.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are still debating exactly how Mauriciosaurus used its flippers to swim, and whether its skin patterns were for camouflage or display.1