All plesiosaurs became extinct as a result of the K-T event at the end of the Cretaceous period, approximately 66 million years ago. Plesiosaurs inhabited the seas from around 200 million to 65 million years ago. They were not dinosaurs, despite living at the same time as dinos. It is thought that plesiosaurs fed mainly on fish, breathed air and laid their eggs on beaches. As photographs of the strange creature surfaced, scientists on both sides of the plesiosaur debate jumped in. For many it was conclusive evidence that plesiosaurs still existed. However, several scientists against this idea stepped forward and claimed the carcass was that of a basking shark. Adam S. Smith, a plesiosaur palaeontologist and curator of Natural Sciences at Nottingham Natural History Museum, concluded that “Unfortunately, living- plesiosaurs almost certainly do not exist today”. Takedown request View complete answer on cbc.ca. What period did plesiosaurs go extinct? It sounds cliché, but almost anything could still be out there. In cryptozoology, researchers study rare animals that are not yet proven to exist by modern science. But there is another part of this research that includes animals we know once roamed our planet, but we now believe to be extinct. Every now and then there is a report of a monster shark, bigger than one we currently know of. Many are still trying to find an explanation for what the monster could be. Nessie could have indeed been a plesiosaur. Descriptions of the Loch Ness Monster. There are many varied descriptions from people claiming to have seen the Loch Ness Monster. In 1933, a couple said they saw a “dragon or prehistoric monster” cross the road and go into the water. Of the senses, sight and smell were important, hearing less so. Is a plesiosaur a fish? A plesiosaur was an order of aquatic creature that existed in the time of the dinosaurs. It was a reptile with a big body and a long neck, and it hunted fish in the prehistoric oceans. While many people have long hoped that the Loch Ness monster is a plesiosaur, skeptics have pointed out that plesiosaurs lived in the ocean. New research, however, now suggests that some of the creatures may have inhabited freshwater rivers. What about all those claims for living plesiosaurs…the Loch Ness Monster, the Lake Champlain Monster, and others? The simple answer is no. You see, plesiosaurs are not dinosaurs. Plesiosaurs are of the Superorder Sauropterygia, a class of marine reptiles, and dinosaurs are of the Superorder Dinosauria.
Was the plesiosaur a predator or prey?
Most plesiosaurs were predators. Some grazed along the seafloor looking for soft-bodied prey. Others aggressively ambushed prey from below, like the great white shark today. Pliosaurus, known as Predator X, was a pliosaurid plesiosaur from Late Jurassic Europe. It was the largest pliosaurid. Pliosaurus is an extinct genus known from the Late Jurassic of Europe and South America. Their diet included fish, cephalopods, and marine reptiles. Some plesiosaurs evolved into short-necked, large-headed pliosaurs like the enormous Predator X. Most species had larger conical teeth to catch fish and small marine animals. However, they had no replacement teeth. So their teeth had to last throughout their lifetime. Despite this challenge, Plesiosaurus thrived and dominated the waters during the Mesozoic Era. Rhomaleosaurus likely fed on a wide range of prey, forcibly dismembering large animals. The cranium of P. brachyspondylus was robust with unusually recurved posterior teeth. These acted as a ratchet to pull struggling prey into the mouth. Large openings in the skull contained strong jaw muscles for a powerful bite. Clearly, plesiosaurs were predators, as evidenced by features like their teeth structure.
What is the closest living relative to the plesiosaur?
The closest known relatives of plesiosaurs are the pistosaurids. This group of Triassic sauropterygians is known from several genera around the world: Pistosaurus from Germany, Augustasaurus from the USA, Bobosaurus from Italy, and Yunguisaurus from China.
They were found in the Pacific Oceans, tropical seas to the Earth’s northern, colder oceans. They were air-breathing animals, using their nostrils to take in air. This had a significant impact on how they interacted with their habitat.
Plesiosaurs belong to a larger group of reptiles known collectively as the Sauropterygia. The fossil record of sauropyerygians is relatively rich because aquatic environments have high rates of deposition.
The plesiosaur is a extinct order of sauropsids. They appeared in the early Jurassic. Occasionally, it is said that it is possible that they still inhabit marine waters.
Plesiosaurs Description & Size. The name plesiosaur is derived from the Greek words. Plesiosaur refers to any member of the order Plesiosauria. The order is further divided into two suborders. Their defining characteristics is their extremely long necks.
The closest known relatives of plesiosaurs are pistosaurids. Sauropterygians provide the most complete evidence of the sequence of events that leads to a specialised aquatic life. They were air-breathing animals, using their nostrils to take in air. Plesiosaur refers to members of Plesiosauria order. Their long necks are defining characteristics. Occasionally it’s said they inhabit marine waters. Plesiosaurs belong to Sauropterygia reptiles collectively. Sauropterygian fossil record is rich in aquatic environments. Plesiosaurs appeared in Early Jurassic as extinct sauropsid order.
Are plesiosaurs harmless?
The belief that plesiosaurs are harmless is a common misconception. Plesiosaurs are often erroneously depicted as dinosaurs in popular culture. It has been suggested that legends of sea serpents and modern sightings of supposed monsters in lakes or the sea could be explained by the survival of plesiosaurs. This cryptozoological proposal has been rejected by the scientific community at large.
Plesiosaurs swim in groups of two or three. They are aggressive with a large aggro distance. Plesiosaurs were carnivorous and ate fish and swimming animals. Members of Plesiosauroidea are referred to as true Plesiosaurs with extremely long necks. Members of Pliosauroidea are known as Pliosaurs with short necks and elongated heads.
Plesiosaurs possessed flipper-like limbs ending in phalanges of five to ten bones. The flippers shaped like hydrofoils were moved enabling the ‘subaqueous flight’ swimming style similar to sea turtles and penguins. With size, plesiosaurs’ prospects look better. Plesiosaurs’ drag wasn’t far from today’s master swimmers. “They’re not as slow as believed to be,” says Gutarra Diaz.
In the “Jurassic Park” franchise, plesiosaurs are depicted as massive aquatic creatures that can swallow humans whole. Popular documentaries fuel the notion of plesiosaurs as ferocious hunters that ruled ancient oceans. Plesiosaurs and pliosaurs were reptiles needing to surface frequently to breathe air, implying evolution from a terrestrial ancestor.
Plesiosaurians varied from 1.5 to 15 metres, containing apex predators roughly equalling ichthyosaurs, mosasaurids, sharks and whales in size. In skeletons plesiosaurs possessed plate-like limb girdles on the ventral surface with two slender paddles and a short tail. Plesiosaurs were limb-propelled swimmers.
Mary Anning found remains of a prehistoric plesiosaur. Since then the question was: “How could plesiosaurs swim?” Two centuries ago, this was the first almost complete skeleton found, with no one naming it.
Plesiosaurs ranged from 10-100 feet in length with a long neck, plump body and four gigantic paddle-shaped flippers for walking on land and swimming.