| Name: | “Thin plate” |
| Type: | Swimmer, breathed air, fish eater |
| Lived When: | Late Cretaceous (99-65 million years ago) |
| Weight: | 2 tons |
| Height: | It was too heavy to stand, but if it could, it would have been around 30 feet tall. |
| Length: | 46 feet |
| Weapons: | Good eyesight, and it could hide from schools of fish because of its long neck (its body would be 24 feet away!); also strong jaws |
| Diet: | Fish, squid and other small sea creatures |
| Habitat: | Open ocean. Fossils found in Wyoming, other parts of North America |
| Interesting Facts: |
More than half of an Elasmosaur’s length was in its neck! That means its neck could be 25 feet long — 4 times longer than a giraffe neck!
Elasmosaurus had 4 flippers it used for swimming; these may have helped it get around on land a little. Because of its funny shape, when one scientist first saw its bones, he put the head on the wrong end! |
Take My Elasmosaurus Quiz
True or False:
One scientist accidentally put the head on the wrong end of the Elasmosaurus.
(Hover over your answer and I will let you know if you are right or wrong)
My Elasmosaurus Coloring Page
(Click on Coloring Page to get a full size page to print)