恐龍卡第 1449 張，共 2 027 張

Plesiopleurodon

名字的意思： “near side tooth”1

吃：肉蛇頸龍類白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Plesiopleurodon was a marine reptile that swam in the warm seas of North America during the time of the dinosaurs. It had a short neck, a long snout, and a mouth full of sharp, pointy teeth. It used its four flippers to paddle through the water like a sea turtle.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 94 百萬年前4

白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

Rattlesnake Hills, Wyoming, USA2 1

長度

3 到 4 m (9.8 到 13 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 29 公里（18 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 4 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 22 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 6.2 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Plesiopleurodon 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)

Plesiopleurodon 時速約 29 公里 (18 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

Plesiopleurodon is known from just one partial skeleton, including a complete skull that is 71.2 cm long.1

Its name means 'near side tooth' because its teeth look a lot like the teeth of the similar pliosaur Liopleurodon.1

Scientists first thought Plesiopleurodon was a pliosaur, but later studies showed it is actually a polycotylid, a type of short-necked plesiosaur.1

It lived around 100 to 94 million years ago, during the early part of the Late Cretaceous Period.2

Plesiopleurodon's front teeth were large and pointed forward, which helped it grab slippery prey.1

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

?Was Plesiopleurodon a dinosaur?

No, it was a marine reptile called a plesiosaur, not a dinosaur. It lived in the sea during the time of the dinosaurs.1 3

?How big was Plesiopleurodon?

Scientists are not sure of its total length because only one partial skeleton has been found. Its skull is 71.2 cm long.1 4

?What did Plesiopleurodon eat?

It was a carnivore that ate fish and other marine animals. Its sharp, forward-pointing teeth helped it grab slippery prey.1 3

?When did Plesiopleurodon live?

It lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 100 to 94 million years ago.1 4

迷思破解王

迷思： Plesiopleurodon was a dinosaur.

真相： Plesiopleurodon was a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea. It was not a dinosaur, even though it lived at the same time.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Plesiopleurodon
命名者: Carpenter 19964
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Polycotylidae4
分類: Plesiosauria > Sauropterygia4
岩石的年代: 100 到 94 百萬年 (Cenomanian)4
岩層: 'Hailey Shales'4
國家: 美國4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆4
發現: Plesiopleurodon was named by paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter in 1996. He based it on a skull, neck bones, and shoulder bones found in Wyoming, USA.4 1
仍有爭議: Scientists are still not sure whether the only known fossil of Plesiopleurodon came from the Belle Fourche Shale or the Hailey Shales Formation, because the original records disagree.1