Name:
Plesiosaurus (Greek for "almost lizard"); pronounced PLEH-see-oh-SORE-us
Habitat:
Oceans
Historical Period:
Late Jurassic (135-120 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 7 feet long and 200 pounds
Diet:
Fish and mollusks
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long neck; tapered body; small head with sharp teeth
About Plesiosaurus:
Plesiosaurus is the eponymous member of a larger group of aquatic reptiles called plesiosaurs, which were characterized by their sleek bodies, wide flippers, and relatively small heads set at the end of long necks. These reptiles were once famously described as looking like "a snake threaded through the shell of a turtle," although it was later established that they didn't have shells.
Plesiosaurs in general (and Plesiosaurus in particular) probably weren't the most accomplished swimmers, since they lacked the hydrodynamic shape of their cousins, the pliosaurs. Still, they must have been accomplished at hunting down prey, since they persisted in the Jurassic oceans for tens of millions of years.
