What is Elasmosaurus?
Q: What is Elasmosaurus?
A: Elasmosaurus was a 46 foot long swimming reptile that lived in the North American Inland Sea. It was a plesiosaur.
Q: Who discovered Elasmosaurus?
A: Edward Drinker Cope discovered Elasmosaurus in 1868.
Q: What mistake did Edward Drinker Cope make while discovering Elasmosaurus?
A: Edward Drinker Cope accidentally put the head on the tail while discovering Elasmosaurus.
Q: How many cervical vertebrae did Elasmosaurus have?
A: Elasmosaurus had 71 cervical vertebrae.
Q: What was the suggested method of surface swimmers by D.M.S. Watson for Elasmosaurus?
A: D.M.S. Watson suggested that the method of surface swimmers for Elasmosaurus was mostly eating with their head above water and darting down to snatch smaller fish which were feeding on plankton.
Q: Why is it hard to see the benefit of a long neck under water for Elasmosaurus?
A: It is hard to see the benefit of a long neck under water for Elasmosaurus because aquatic mammals operating under water all have a streamlined torpedo-shape, as did pliosaurs and ichthyosaurs.
Q: What does the number of neck vertebrae in Elasmosaurus indicate?
A: The large number of neck vertebrae in Elasmosaurus is probably linked to the modest degree of flexibility between adjacent vertebrae.
