恐龍卡第 1883 張，共 2 027 張

Vectocleidus

名字的意思： “Vectis (the Isle of Wight) + kleid- (key or collar bone), meaning 'Vectis collar bone'”1

吃：肉蛇頸龍類白堊紀早期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Vectocleidus was a plesiosaur, a long-necked marine reptile that swam in the warm seas of the Early Cretaceous. It lived about 125 million years ago near what is now the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. This predator used its sharp teeth to catch fish and other slippery prey.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

126 到 121 百萬年前4

白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Shepherds Chine foreshore, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom4 1

長度

1.5 m (4.9 ft)2 3

體重

15 kg (33 lb)2 3

最高速度

時速約 18 公里（11 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 隻家貓一樣重

跟 3 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 8 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 120 根香蕉一樣重能在 10 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Vectocleidus 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)

Vectocleidus 時速約 18 公里 (11 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

Vectocleidus is known from only a single specimen, which includes parts of the skull, backbone, and flippers.1

It belonged to a group called Leptocleididae, which were small to medium-sized plesiosaurs that lived in shallow seas.1 4

The name Vectocleidus comes from Vectis, the ancient Roman name for the Isle of Wight, and the Greek word kleid- meaning 'key' or 'collar bone'.1

Its fossils were found in the Vectis Formation, which was once the bottom of a warm, shallow sea.1 4

Scientists think Vectocleidus was a fast swimmer that used its long neck to ambush prey.1

Vectocleidus 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Vectocleidus 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。

迷思破解王

迷思： Vectocleidus is often mistaken for a dinosaur.

真相： Vectocleidus was a plesiosaur, a marine reptile, not a dinosaur. Dinosaurs lived on land, while plesiosaurs swam in the oceans.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Vectocleidus
命名者: Benson et al. 20134
類群: 蛇頸龍類
科 / 演化支: Leptocleididae4
分類: Plesiosauria > Sauropterygia4
岩石的年代: 126 到 121 百萬年 (Barremian)4
岩層: Vectis4
國家: 英國4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆4
發現: Vectocleidus was named in 2012 by paleontologists Roger Benson, Hilary Ketchum, Darren Naish, and L. E. Turner based on fossils found on the Isle of Wight.1 4
仍有爭議: Scientists are still debating exactly how Vectocleidus is related to other leptocleidid plesiosaurs, because its skeleton is incomplete.1