Marine reptiles

Plesiosaurs

This is a plesiosaur. Plesiosaurs were sea reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs, but they were not dinosaurs.

Look at its long neck and four flippers. All four could work together like wings under the water.

Meet this animal

When it lived: Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous
Fossil discovery regions: Ancient marine rocks around the world
Size: 1.5–13 metres · Plesiosaurs varied greatly in size; this is not the length of the animal shown
Diet: Meat-eater
Classification: Marine reptiles

Plesiosaurs were a large group of extinct marine reptiles, not dinosaurs. Some had a long neck and small head, while others had a shorter neck and larger head. Their unusual four-flipper arrangement may have allowed all four limbs to help provide steady thrust. The model source gives no genus, species or specimen, so this label stays at group level.

Scientific sources

Reconstruction and uncertainty

The model source says only “Plesiosaure” and provides no genus, species, rock layer or specimen number.
The 1.5–13 metre range is a rough span across many plesiosaur species and must not be read as the length of this model.
Flipper timing would have varied with body shape and swimming speed; this model's idle animation is only a slow display reconstruction.

Meet this animal

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