Was the plesiosaur a carnivore?

Was the plesiosaur a carnivore?

Plesiosaurs were carnivorous and ate fish and other swimming animals. They lived in the large bodies of water and were air-breathing animals. Plesiosaurs were probably slow swimmers, cruising slowly just below the surface. They swam using their four paddle-like flippers in a manner similar to that of modern turtles.

Was plesiosaur a fish?

These plesiosaurs were not fish and squid specialists like their Cretaceous relatives elsewhere, but, at least near the time of their death, subsisted on clams and crustaceans. From the time of their initial description, long-necked plesiosaurs were thought to have a specialized way of life.

How did the plesiosaur hunt?

Most plesiosaurs were predators. Some likely grazed along the seafloor looking for soft-bodied prey while others likely aggressively ambushed their prey from below, much like the great white shark of today.

Was Iguanodon a carnivore?

Iguanodon were large, bulky herbivores. Distinctive features include large thumb spikes, which were possibly used for defense against predators, combined with long prehensile fifth fingers able to forage for food.

How many teeth did a plesiosaur have?

There are 20 to 25 teeth per upper jaw tooth row, and 24 per low jaw tooth row. Up to four teeth of a lower jaw’s tooth row are found in the symphyseal region.

Did the plesiosaur have any predators?

Some were macropredators that attacked and ate other plesiosaurs as well as ichthyosaurs, swimming crocodyliforms and turtles. Members of several lineages famously possessed long or ridiculously long necks, the flexibility and function of which have long been the subject of debate.

Was the plesiosaur a predator or prey?

All plesiosaurs – so far as we know – were predators, the shapes of their teeth and jaws indicating that they preyed variously on swimming and benthic invertebrates, on fish, and also on other aquatic reptiles.

What kind of food did the Plesiosaurus eat?

What did Plesiosaurus eat? These dinosaurs had very sharp teeth and incredibly strong jaws. This allowed them to not only feed on fish of all sizes but also on any other swimming animals that may have been in the ocean at that time.

When was the heyday of the plesiosaur?

The heyday of the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs was the middle-to-late Mesozoic Era, especially the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous period; by the end of the Mesozoic Era, these marine reptiles had been widely supplanted by even more vicious mosasaurs, which likewise succumbed to the K/T Extinction 65 million years ago.

When was the Plesiosaurus first discovered in Europe?

About Plesiosaurus. Plesiosaurus is an extinct marine reptile which lived approximately 135 million to 120 million years ago – from the Early to the Middle Jurassic Period. It was first discovered in the winter of 1823 by fossil hunter Mary Anning in Western Europe. It was named the following year by William Conybeare.

What are the facts about the Plesiosaurus Rex?

Quick Plesiosaurus Facts 1 Lived from the Early to the Middle Jurassic Period 2 Lived in oceans all over the world 3 Was a marine reptile 4 May have laid eggs in the sand like sea turtles 5 Was twice as long as a horse 6 Weighed twice as much as a pig 7 They breathed air 8 Was a Piscivore and/or Carnivore