I am deciding to dive into the ocean for my first post and introduce everyone to the elasmosaurus! There is a character in the show Dinosaur Train named Elmer, and he is an elasmosaurus who they meet on their underwater adventure.
This dinosaur is half neck and has 71 vertebrae, more than any other animal. Elasmosaurus is a plesiosaur who lived in the late Cretaceous period. At 45' they were about the size of a shipping container, and weighing in around 9000 pounds.
Due to their large size, it was thought that they used their long necks to stalk and prey on schools of fish, rather than engaging in a chase.
Sources: Wikipedia, About.com
Awesome blog!
ReplyDeleteMinor comment: elasmosaurus is not actually a dinosaur. A good rule of thumb is that dinosaurs are terrestrial: the dinosauria have no fully aquatic members. No flying members either, except for the birds and their feathered ancestors.
Peace,
Davidas