Plesiosauria
E674176
Plesiosauria is an extinct group of large marine reptiles characterized by broad bodies, flippers, and typically long necks that thrived in the Mesozoic seas.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Plesiosaurus | 1 |
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
clade
ⓘ
extinct marine reptile group ⓘ sauropterygian ⓘ |
| bodyPlanVariation |
long-necked small-headed forms
ⓘ
short-necked large-headed forms ⓘ |
| characteristic |
broad body
ⓘ
four large flippers ⓘ often long neck ⓘ relatively small head in many forms ⓘ short tail ⓘ |
| class | Reptilia ⓘ |
| containsSubgroup |
Plesiosauroidea
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Pliosauroidea ⓘ |
| convergentWith | sea turtles in locomotion ⓘ |
| diet | carnivorous ⓘ |
| discoveredBy | early 19th-century paleontologists ⓘ |
| distinguishedFrom |
ichthyosaurs
ⓘ
mosasaurs ⓘ |
| environment | marine ⓘ |
| extinctionEvent | Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| feedingBehavior | marine predator ⓘ |
| firstAppearance | Late Triassic ⓘ |
| fossilEvidence | known from abundant skeletal remains ⓘ |
| fossilsFoundIn | marine sedimentary rocks ⓘ |
| geographicDistribution |
Africa
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Asia NERFINISHED ⓘ Australia NERFINISHED ⓘ Europe NERFINISHED ⓘ North America NERFINISHED ⓘ South America NERFINISHED ⓘ global oceans ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| lastAppearance | end-Cretaceous mass extinction ⓘ |
| livedIn | Mesozoic seas ⓘ |
| locomotion | aquatic ⓘ |
| neckVertebraeCount | often more than 30 cervical vertebrae in long-necked forms ⓘ |
| notableGenus |
Cryptoclidus
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Elasmosaurus NERFINISHED ⓘ Kronosaurus NERFINISHED ⓘ Liopleurodon NERFINISHED ⓘ Plesiosaurus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| phylum | Chordata ⓘ |
| reproduction |
live birth in water
ⓘ
viviparous ⓘ |
| superorder | Sauropterygia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| swimmingStyle | underwater flight with flippers ⓘ |
| taxonRank | order ⓘ |
| temporalRange |
Cretaceous
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Jurassic ⓘ Late Triassic ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Plesiosaurus