Elasmosauridae

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Elasmosauridae Fossil range: Early Jurassic -Late Cretaceous
Elasmosaurus platyurus
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Plesiosauria Suborder: Plesiosauroidea Family: Elasmosauridae Cope, 1869
Genera
Morenosaurus Occitanosaurus Microcleidus Aristonectes Orophosaurus Woolungasaurus Ogmodirus Fresnosaurus Piptomerus Goniosaurus Mauisaurus Aphrosaurus Hydrotherosaurus Hydralmosaurus Terminonatator Tuarangisaurus Thalassomedon Elasmosaurus Brancasaurus Callawayasaurus Libonectes Styxosaurus

Elasmosauridae was the taxonomic family of the most advanced plesiosaurs. They had the longest necks of the plesiosaurs and survived from the Early Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous. They had a diet of fish and shelless cephalopods.

[edit] Size

The earliest elasmosaurids were small: about 3 m. At the end of the Cretaceous, elasmosaurids grew as large as 14 m., such as Elasmosaurus. Their necks were the longest of all the plesiosaurs, with anywhere between 32 to 71 cervical vertebrae They weighed up to several tons.

[edit] References

http://www.palaeos.com/Vertebrates/Units/220Lepidosauromorpha/220.700.html#Elasmosauridae