🎨 RestorationRestoration: Connor Ashbridge · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Life restorations are artistic reconstructions based on fossil evidence; true coloration and soft-tissue details remain uncertain.
Plesiosaurus
Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus (Plesiosaurus · Plesiosaurus)
Known only from fossils. The IUCN Red List assesses only species extant since 1500 CE, so fossil taxa are not assigned a category.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its estimated body length of about 3.5 m (representative value for the genus) is about 1 m shorter than a passenger car (about 4.5 m) (Comparison).
- 💡 The Natural History Museum, London notes that the specimen found by Mary Anning can be seen in its Fossil Marine Reptiles gallery.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus (genus Plesiosaurus) is a plesiosaur named in 1821, and its name means 'near to a reptile.' The name of the entire plesiosaur group comes from this genus.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
At about 3.5 m in body length, it was relatively small among plesiosaurs. Judging from its skull and tooth structure, it fed on small prey.
🔍 3. Fossil Record & Paleoecology
It is thought to have eaten small prey such as fish and crustaceans. A nearly complete skeleton found by Mary Anning in 1823 first revealed what a plesiosaur looked like.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • Fossil taxon — the IUCN Red List assesses only species living or extinct since 1500
- • paleobiodb.org — basicTaxonInfo
- • wikidata.org — Q62030288
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus.JPG
- • nhm.ac.uk — what-is-a-plesiosaur.html
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.