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What period did the plesiosaur live in?
208.5 million years ago – 66 million years ago (Rhaetian – Maastrichtian)Plesiosaurus / Lived
What did plesiosaurs evolve into?
Plesiosaurs thrived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Some evolved into the short-necked, large-headed pliosaurs, such as the enormous Predator X. They died out 66 million years ago, along with the dinosaurs.
How long could a plesiosaur live?
If the Loch Ness monster is a plesiosaur, plesiosaurs would have to have survived for at least 65 million years. This could only happen if there was a substantial number of animals which would have formed a population large enough to avoid the problems of inbreeding.
Did plesiosaurs lay eggs?
Scientists say they have found the first evidence that giant sea reptiles – which lived at the same time as dinosaurs – gave birth to live young rather than laying eggs.
Can plesiosaur walk land?
The fossil’s abdominal cavity contains tiny bones—parts of a plesiosaur that hadn’t been born by the time its mother died. “Scientists have long known that the bodies of plesiosaurs were not well suited to climbing onto land and laying eggs in a nest [like dinosaurs].
What made the plesiosaur go extinct?
During the Late Cretaceous, the elasmosaurids still had many species. All plesiosaurs became extinct as a result of the K-T event at the end of the Cretaceous period, approximately 66 million years ago.
Why did plesiosaurs go extinct?
Did plesiosaur walk land?
How did plesiosaurs go extinct?
Is plesiosaur a meat eater?
The teeth of plesiosaurs show similarities with the piscivorous (fish eating) gharial, also known as the gavial, a long-snouted crocodile. Both of these animal’s teeth interlock, so plesiosaurs probably ate fish too. Being a meat eater (carnivore) does not necessarily mean an animal was a predator.
How fast can a plesiosaur swim?
“Studies have shown an optimal swimming speed for plesiosaurs of about 0.4 m/s (1.44 km/h) to a maximum sustained speed of about 2.5 m/s (9 km/h) (like today’s dolphins), depending on joint movement of the limbs and specific species.
What is a plesiosaur related to?
Plesiosaurs were related to the earlier Nothosauridae, that had a more crocodile-like body. The flipper arrangement is unusual for aquatic animals in that probably all four limbs were used to propel the animal through the water by up-and-down movements.
Are plesiosaurs dinosaurs?
Plesiosaurs (sensu Plesiosauroidea) first appeared at the very initiate of the Jurassic Period and thrived until the K-T extinction, at the end of the Cretaceous age. While they were Mesozoic reptiles that lived at the identical time as dinosaurs however they were not dinosaurs.
What was the size of Plesiosaurus in feet?
Some forms known from North America and elsewhere persisted until near the end of the Cretaceous Period (65.5 million years ago). Plesiosaurus, an early plesiosaur, was about 4.5 metres (15 feet) long, with a broad, flat body and a relatively short tail.
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.
What is the difference between Plesiosauria and Plesiosauroidea?
“Plesiosauroidea” and “Pliosauroidea” today have a more limited meaning. The term “plesiosaur” is properly used to refer to the Plesiosauria as a whole, but informally it is sometimes meant to indicate only the long-necked forms, the old Plesiosauroidea.