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How old is the plesiosaur?
plesiosaur, any of a group of long-necked marine reptiles found as fossils from the Late Triassic Period into the Late Cretaceous Period (215 million to 80 million years ago).
What was the first plesiosaur?
Henry De la Beche and William Conybeare are the first to name a plesiosaurian species: Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus.
When did plesiosaur evolve?
The fossil shows that, as predicted, plesiosaurs evolved in the late Triassic and survived the mass extinction that ushered in the Jurassic era 200 million years ago.
How old is the oldest plesiosaur fossil?
about 201 million years
student Tanja Wintrich of the Steinmann Institute of the University of Bonn revealed that the find indeed represent the oldest plesiosaur at an age of about 201 million years, which makes it the only plesiosaur skeleton from the Triassic period.
Where did the plesiosaur come from?
Plesiosaurus (Greek: πλησίος (plesios), near to + σαῦρος (sauros), lizard) is a genus of extinct, large marine sauropterygian reptile that lived during the early part of the Jurassic Period, and is known by nearly complete skeletons from the Lias of England.
Is plesiosaur extinct?
All plesiosaurs became extinct as a result of the K-T event at the end of the Cretaceous period, approximately 66 million years ago.
How was plesiosaur found?
The creature is the first of its species located in Antarctica and the oldest creature ever found on the continent. Scientists found the creature’s bones at the tip of Antarctica, a two-hour helicopter ride from Argentina’s Marambio Base, according to Phys.org.
Where was plesiosaur found?
Antarctica
Updated | Scientists have unearthed the remains of a 150 million-year-old plesiosaur in Antarctica—and it bears a striking resemblance to the legendary Scottish monster of Loch Ness. The creature is the first of its species located in Antarctica and the oldest creature ever found on the continent.
Where are plesiosaur fossils found?
The animal would have weighed as much as 15 tons, and it is now one of the most complete ancient reptile fossils ever discovered in Antarctica. Elasmosaurs make up a family of the plesiosaurs, which represent some of the largest sea creatures of the Cretaceous.
Are plesiosaurs real?
Where did Mary Anning discover the plesiosaur?
Lyme Regis
Mary Anning (21 May 1799 – 9 March 1847) was an English fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist who became known around the world for finds she made in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Channel at Lyme Regis in the county of Dorset in Southwest England.
What happened to plesiosaurs during the Jurassic period?
They became especially common during the Jurassic Period, thriving until their disappearance due to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 66 million years ago. They had a worldwide oceanic distribution. Plesiosaurs were among the first fossil reptiles discovered.
How did Plesiosaurus get its name?
The genus Plesiosaurus was discovered and subsequently named in 1821, in reference to the view that plesiosaurs were closer to reptiles than were the more fish-like ichthyosaurs.
What are the marine ancestors of plesiosaurs?
Some experts think the earliest marine ancestors of the plesiosaurs were the nothosaurs, typified by the early Triassic Nothosaurus . As is often the case in nature, the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs of the late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods tended to be bigger than their early Jurassic cousins.
How big are plesiosaurs compared to other dinosaurs?
As is often the case in nature, the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs of the late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods tended to be bigger than their early Jurassic cousins. One of the earliest known plesiosaurs, Thalassiodracon, was only about six feet long; compare that to the 55-foot length of Mauisaurus, a plesiosaur of the late Cretaceous.