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Elasmosaurus platyurus

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description Elasmosaurus platyurus Overview

Elasmosaurus platyurus was a Late Cretaceous marine reptile from the Western Interior Seaway of North America. This plesiosaur had an unusually long neck containing more than 70 cervical vertebrae, a compact body, four flippers, and a comparatively small head. Edward Drinker Cope described it in 1868 but initially reconstructed the skeleton with the skull at the tail end, an error later identified by other paleontologists.

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How long was Elasmosaurus platyurus?

Elasmosaurus platyurus was a large plesiosaur with an unusually long neck containing more than 70 cervical vertebrae, a compact body, and a comparatively small head. Total length estimates commonly place it around 10 to 14 meters, much of which consisted of neck.

Who described Elasmosaurus and what famous mistake was made?

Elasmosaurus platyurus was described by the American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope in the nineteenth century. Cope famously reconstructed the skeleton with the head on the wrong end of the tail, an error that was later corrected by his rival Othniel Charles Marsh.

Did Elasmosaurus have the longest neck of any known animal?

Elasmosaurus platyurus had one of the longest necks relative to body size of any known animal, with more than 70 neck vertebrae. It was a plesiosaur, a group of marine reptiles—not dinosaurs—that lived in the Western Interior Seaway of North America during the Late Cretaceous.

What did Elasmosaurus eat?

Elasmosaurus had a comparatively small head with sharp, conical teeth suited for catching fish and other small marine prey. Its extremely long neck likely allowed it to approach prey from a distance while its bulky body remained concealed.

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