恐龍卡第 1217 張，共 2 027 張

Muraenosaurus

名字的意思： “eel lizard”1

吃：肉蛇頸龍類侏羅紀中期到侏羅紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Muraenosaurus was a plesiosaur with a very long neck and a tiny head. It swam in warm, shallow seas during the Jurassic Period. Its name means 'eel lizard' because its neck looked like an eel's body.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

165 到 155 百萬年前2

侏羅紀中期到侏羅紀晚期

化石發現地

England (Oxford Clay) and France1 2

長度

5.2 m (17 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 28 公里（17 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 5 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 29 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 6.4 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Muraenosaurus 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)

Muraenosaurus 時速約 28 公里 (17 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

Muraenosaurus had 44 bones in its neck, which made up most of its 66 backbone bones before the hips.1

Its head was only about 37 centimeters (15 inches) long, very small compared to its 5.2-meter (17-foot) body.1

The first Muraenosaurus fossil was collected by Charles E. Leeds and described by Harry Seeley in 1874.1

Muraenosaurus lived in a warm, shallow sea that was less than 50 meters deep and about 20 °C (68 °F).1

Scientists think Muraenosaurus may have swallowed stones called gastroliths to help grind up food or to stop it from rolling in the water.1

Muraenosaurus was first thought to be an elasmosaur, but now scientists place it in the family Cryptoclididae.1

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

?How long was Muraenosaurus?

About 5.2 metres (17 feet) long.1

?What did Muraenosaurus eat?

It probably ate fish and cephalopods (like squid). Scientists think it may have swallowed stones to help grind up its food.1

?Could Muraenosaurus swim?

Yes, it was a marine reptile that swam in warm, shallow seas. Its long neck and flippers helped it move through the water.1

迷思破解王

迷思： Some people think Muraenosaurus was a dinosaur.

真相： Muraenosaurus was a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea, not a dinosaur.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Muraenosaurus
命名者: Seeley 18742
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Cryptoclididae2
分類: Plesiosauria > Sauropterygia2
岩石的年代: 165 到 155 百萬年 (Callovian / Oxfordian)2
岩層: Oxford Clay, Lajas, Argiles de Montaubert2
國家: 英國, 阿根廷, 法國2
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 11 筆2
又名: Tremamesacleis （舊名稱現在也算作同一種動物）2
發現: The first Muraenosaurus fossil was found by Charles E. Leeds in the Oxford Clay of England. Harry Seeley named it Muraenosaurus leedsii in 1874.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure exactly how Muraenosaurus used its long neck to catch food. It may have attacked fish from below or grazed on the seafloor.1