Plesiosaurus

marine reptile · long neck · Jurassic · extinct

Submarine swimmer. Plesiosaurus was a giant marine reptile about 11 feet long that lived during the Early Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago in the oceans covering England.

Impossibly long neck. This creature had an incredibly long, slender neck attached to a small head, which made it look completely different from the short-necked marine reptiles of its time.

Four powerful paddles. Instead of legs, Plesiosaurus had two pairs of large, elongated flippers (paddles) that it used to push itself through the water like a swimmer doing strokes.

Turtle-shaped body. Its body was broad and flat like a turtle's shell, which helped it glide smoothly through the water while hunting for fish and other sea creatures.

Nearly complete fossils. Scientists found almost complete skeletons of Plesiosaurus in the rocks of England, which tells us exactly what this amazing animal looked like and how it moved.