Elasmosauridae

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Elasmosauridae Fossil range: Early Jurassic -Late Cretaceous
Elasmosaurus platyurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Plesiosauria Suborder: Plesiosauroidea Family: Elasmosauridae Cope, 1869
Genera
Aphrosaurus Aristonectes Brancasaurus Callawayasaurus Elasmosaurus Fresnosaurus Futabasaurus Goniosaurus Hydralmosaurus Hydrotherosaurus Libonectes Mauisaurus Microcleidus Morenosaurus Occitanosaurus Ogmodirus Orophosaurus Piptomerus Styxosaurus Terminonatator Thalassomedon Tuarangisaurus Woolungasaurus

Elasmosauridae was the family of plesiosaurs. They had the longest necks of the plesiosaurs and survived from the Early Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous. They had a diet of fish and shelless cephalopods.

[edit] Size

The earliest elasmosaurids were small, about 3 m. At the end of the Cretaceous, elasmosaurids grew as large as 14 m., such as Elasmosaurus. Their necks were the longest of all the plesiosaurs, with anywhere between 32 to 71 cervical vertebrae They weighed up to several tons.

[edit] References

• "Lepidosauromorpha: Elasmosauridae." Palaeos.com