Biology:Hydrotherosaurus

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Short description: Extinct genus of reptiles

Hydrotherosaurus
Temporal range: Maastrichtian,
~72.1–66 Ma
Hydrotherosaurus NT.jpg
Restoration
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: Sauropterygia
Order: Plesiosauria
Family: Elasmosauridae
Genus: Hydrotherosaurus
Welles, 1943
Species:
H. alexandrae
Binomial name
Hydrotherosaurus alexandrae
Welles, 1943

Hydrotherosaurus (meaning "water beast lizard") is an extinct genus of elasmosaurid plesiosaur from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian stage) Moreno Formation of Fresno County, California , USA. The only known species, H. alexandrae, was named for its discoverer, Annie Montague Alexander, by Samuel Paul Welles.

Description

Size comparison

Hydrotherosaurus was a medium-sized plesiosaur, measuring approximately 7.8–8 metres (25.6–26.2 ft) long.[1][2] It has one of the longest necks relative to total length among elasmosaurids, with 60 vertebrae in total. It had a small head that measured about 33 centimetres (13 in; 1.08 ft) long, a streamlined body, and four large flippers that were specially designed to help the huge animal balance, move, and accelerate itself.[citation needed]

See also

References

Sources

  • Welles, S. P. (1943). "Elasmosaurid plesiosaurs with a description of the new material from California and Colorado". University of California Memoirs 13: 125–254. 

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