The Long-Necked Swimmer of the Ancient Seas!
Meet Plesiosaurus, the amazing marine reptile with a long neck and flippers perfect for gliding through ancient oceans!
| Meaning | Near lizard [Plesio-saurus] |
| Pronunciation | PLEE-see-uh-sore-us |
| When: | Early Jurassic (about 199–175 million years ago) |
| Where: | Europe (notably in England) |
| What: | Plesiosaur (marine reptile) |
| Weight: | Approximately 450 kg (990 pounds) |
| Length: | About 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) |
| Diet: | Piscivorous (fed on fish and other marine animals) |
| Discovered: | First described by William Conybeare in 1821 |
Plesiosaurus wasn’t a dinosaur but a marine reptile that lived about 200 million years ago during the Jurassic period.
Imagine a creature with a snake-like neck as long as its entire body, a sleek body, and four powerful flippers – that’s Plesiosaurus!
Its long neck helped it sneak up on fish and other sea creatures, while its flippers made it a graceful swimmer.
With a body that could be up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) long, Plesiosaurus used its flat, wide teeth to catch slippery fish and crunchy crustaceans.
As it glided silently through the water, Plesiosaurus was like the stealthy submarine of the ancient seas, always ready for its next underwater adventure!