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Plesiosaurs
Click here for more Plesiosaur Pictures
| Scientific Classification |
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Plesiosaurs were a group of aquatic reptiles that lived in both
marine and freshwater environments.
They evolved during the
early Jurassic period
or late Triassic period,
from Nothosaurs,
and went extinct during the
Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction.
Plesiosaurs had a broad body, short tail, and four limb flippers. The term "Plesiosaur"
includes the so-called "true Plesiosaurs", which had a long necks, and the
Pliosaurs which had shorter
necks and a larger head. Plesiosaurs varied greatly in size, the adults varying between
10 feet (3 meters) and 66 feet (20 meters) in length, depending on the particular species.
Perhaps the most remarkable are the
family of Plesiosaurs known as "Elasmosauridae", which includes species such
as
Elasmosaurus and
Thalassomedon, who had necks that made up half or more of the length of the creature.
Plesiosaurs are often drawn with their necks positioned upwards
in a swan-like posture. However, this is now thought to be unlikely to be an accurate depiction
- it is thought they necks were probably not flexible enough to
do this, and, in any case, such a posture would probably have tipped them over.
In life, Plesiosaurs are believed to have been the top ("apex") predators of the oceans.
It is thought perhaps they swam slowly below the surface of the water, and then used their
long necks to position to snap up fish or cephalopods. Stones have been found in
the stomach area of some Plesiosaurs (including Thalassomedon), and it is thought perhaps
that these were used as ballast and/or as an aid to digestion (similar to gizzard stones
in modern birds being used to grind up food).
The first recorded Plesiosaur fossils
were found in England - these
include a partial skeleton found by Stukely in Nottinghamshire in 1719,
and others found by
Mary Anning.
As a result of this, an impressive collection of Plesiosaur
fossils are now found in
the
Natural History Museum
and
London.
A number of alleged lake monsters (animals supposedly living in freshwater lakes) are
sometimes claimed to be living Plesiosaurs.
These include
Champ which supposedly lives in Lake Champlain in the
United States,
Ogopogo which supposedly lives in Lake Okanagan in
Canada,
and most famously of all,
Nessie which supposedly lives in Loch Ness in
Scotland.
Mainstream scientists are generally skeptical of these claims
for a variety of reasons including lack of physical evidence,
the lakes are generally too small to support a viable breeding population,
the lakes are often too cold, and
bodies of dead animals have not been found. Cryptozoologists
(people who search for rumored or mythical creatures whose existence is uncertain),
and of course tourists to these areas, however continue to look for these creatures.
Plesiosaurs were marine reptiles that lived between 228 and 65 million years ago
Related Information & Resources
See Also
Plesiosaur Pictures and Posters
by AllPosters
Here are some Plesiosaur pictures and posters:
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Plesiosaur Books
Here are some books from Amazon.com:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Roger Blakely
Released: 2010-10-09
Kindle Edition (236 pages)
 | List Price: $1.99*
*(As of 09:09 Pacific 3 Feb 2012 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
Someone is desperate to hide the find of the century...
As the twenty-first century begins, seven people are drawn into a web of spiritual warfare, violence, adventure, love, and faith.
25 year-old Matt Chase is a 5th grade math teacher at an intermediate school in northern Lake County, Illinois. While on summer break Matt discovers a family of plesiosaurs, animals thought to have been extinct for 60 million years, living a tranquil life in a secluded British Columbia lake. When billionaire corporate cheiftan Marcus Wolfe, a man obsessed with the occult and with a hatred of Christianity, learns of Matt's find, he sets into motion a plan to kill the plesiosaurs and hide the discovery from the world. |
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By Roger Blakely
Released: 2011-08-17
Kindle Edition (633 pages)
 | List Price: $4.99*
*(As of 09:09 Pacific 3 Feb 2012 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
Both ARTEMUS NEWTON THRILLERS and the first MATT CHASE ADVENTURE in one convenient download for only $4.99, a savings of $3.98 if you purchase the novels individually. |
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By David Hawcock
Henry Holth & Co (J)
Hardcover (1 pages)
 | List Price: $5.95*
Lowest New Price: $1.75*
Lowest Used Price: $0.99*
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Click Here | Product Description:
Asks questions about the plesiosaurus, such as how did it breathe; provides answers under flaps; and concludes with a fold-out image of this prehistoric reptile. |
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By Susan Heinrichs Gray
Childs World
Library Binding (32 pages)
 | List Price: $27.07*
Lowest New Price: $1.60*
Lowest Used Price: $0.44*
Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item.*
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Click Here |
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By Rex Stone
Scholastic Paperbacks
Mass Market Paperback (80 pages)
 | List Price: $4.99*
Lowest New Price: $1.88*
Lowest Used Price: $0.04*
Usually ships in 24 hours*
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Click Here | - ISBN13: 9780545112468
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Product Description:
Everyone is digging this dino-mite adventure series!
Tom and Jamie can't believe their luck when they find a secret entrance to a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs! They vow to have a new adventure every day.
Loaded with snorkeling gear, the boys decide to explore the cove itself. They have fun with the dolphin-like ichthyosaurs in the bay, and even tempt Wanna out into the water. But there are some not-so-friendly creatures lurking, including a hungry plesiosaur that wants a snack! Can the boys save their dinosaur friends-and themselves-from the deadliest creature in the prehistoric ocean?
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By David Hawcock
Tango Books
Paperback (12 pages)
| Lowest Used Price: $48.24*
*(As of 09:09 Pacific 3 Feb 2012 More Info)
Click Here |
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By R. L. Carroll
Royal Society of London
Paperback
| Lowest Used Price: $20.00*
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Click Here |
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By S.W. Williston
Smithson.Proceed.U.S.Nat.Mus.v.32
Paperback
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By Michael J. Everhart
Kansas Academy of Science
Released: 2005-07-31
Digital (14 pages)
| List Price: $5.95*
Lowest New Price: $5.95*
Available for download now*
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Click Here | Product Description:
This digital document is an article from Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, published by Kansas Academy of Science on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 4179 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: First records of plesiosaur remains in the lower Smoky Hill Chalk Member (Upper Coniacian) of the Niobrara Formation in western Kansas.
Author: Michael J. Everhart
Publication: Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: Kansas Academy of Science
Volume: 106 Issue: 3-4 Page: 139(10)
Distributed by Thomson Gale |
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By Michael J. Everhart
Thomson Gale
Released: 2005-12-05
Digital (12 pages)
| List Price: $5.95*
Lowest New Price: $5.95*
Available for download now*
*(As of 09:09 Pacific 3 Feb 2012 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
This digital document is an article from Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 3346 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Probable plesiosaur gastroliths from the basal Kiowa Shale (Early Cretaceous) of Kiowa County, Kansas.
Author: Michael J. Everhart
Publication: Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 108 Issue: 3-4 Page: 109(7)
Distributed by Thomson Gale |
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