What Does Elasmosaurus Mean?

Elasmosaurus is a genus of plesiosaur that lived in North America during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 80.5 million years ago.

What is the difference between a plesiosaur and Elasmosaurus?

Plesiosaurs were distinguished by their long, narrow necks, small heads, and streamlined torsos. Elasmosaurus had the longest neck of any plesiosaur yet identified, about half the length of its entire body and supported by a whopping 71 vertebrae (no other plesiosaur had more than 60 vertebrae).

What does Elasmosaurus look like?

Measuring 10.3 meters (34 ft) long, Elasmosaurus would have had a streamlined body with paddle-like limbs, a short tail, a small head, and an extremely long neck. The neck alone was around 7.1 meters (23 ft) long.