Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'cretaceous period'.
-
Hey y'all! I've only been shark teeth hunting for about 8 months and its addictive that's for sure! One of the coolest and unique finds would be shark teeth in matrix. Here are two examples although they are tiny teeth, I believe they are Cetalamna's? Both were found in two separate creeks approximately 75 miles from each other. The first one is in Coquina matrix (a closeup shot), found while sifting. I reached into the sifter not seeing the tooth and it cut my dang finger drawing blood...ouch! It's safe to say the tooth still works or was bitten by 85 million year old shark. The second tooth is embedded in chalk. The chalk had been creek tumbled over time with a smooth pebble like surface. Hope to find more of these on future excursions?
- 4 replies
-
- 8
-
-
- cretaceous period
- eutaw formation
- (and 1 more)
-
Hello All! I've been fortunate to have a hunting buddy who has access to private property where the Cretaceous material is dense. One of my favorite fossils to hunt are the Shark Coprolites. Although the teeth and bone are the greater draw it doesn't disappoint when a Coprolite is found. Looking forward to finding more of these on future trips.
- 9 replies
-
- 10
-
-
- cretaceous period
- eutaw formation
- (and 1 more)
-
Hello all! Most of us like em' big...that is fossilized shark teeth! Most sifters generally have the 1/4 " mesh which catch the big teeth. Lil' did I know what got through that mesh until I took a bucket home to resift later. Upon resifting I find these tiny teeth, Scapanorynchus Texanus, Cretalamna, Cretoxyrhina, and Squalicorax. Realizing that sharks and fishes started off small to get big. Finding these tiny teeth now is just as exciting as sifting on the creek itself! Also pictured is a Brachiopod and Turitella. Go ahead, I know ya want to sing it...Baby Shark Doo doo, doo doo doo doo...
- 11 replies
-
- 13
-
-
- cretaceous period
- eutaw formation
- (and 1 more)
-
Hello again! My hunting buddies and I were invited down to the Southern part of our state on Wednesday to hunt Cretaceous fossils with some Pliocene overlap on private property. The site was on a creek with a beautiful setting on a sunny, gorgeous day! The creek didn't disappoint although most of the shark teeth found were broken, but the bone and Native American pottery shard finds made up for it. My finds of the day were the Enchodus teeth and mandibles. We were onsite for several hours and didn't want to overstay our welcome so we packed our things up and visited with the property owner and then on our way. We were in an area where other creeks needed checked out so headed out to do that. As we are driving down one the roadways out in the middle of nowhere we spy an exposure of sand and chalk, stopped to investigate. To our surprise two bleached Squalicorax teeth were found and I stumbled upon the biggest Enchodus tooth ever! It was two inches long! To top that off, several feet away a Mosasaur tooth was found by one of my hunting buddies! What a great, productive day. The creeksite is worth visiting again in the future because of its potential. Pic#1- the creek site Pic#2- broken teeth- Squalicorax and Scapanorynchus, Ammonite piece and worm tube Pic#3- Mosasaur tooth, fish vertebrate and Enchodus pieces of Enchodus mandibles as well as an ancient horse tooth Pic#4- Native American pottery shards Pic#5- Assorted piece of bone
- 5 replies
-
- 10
-
-
- cretaceous period
- eutaw formation
- (and 1 more)
-
Hello all! My last post showed my participation hunting shark teeth and marine fossils in our state. I mostly collect Carboniferous Plant Fossils and happy to say I've added shark teeth/vertebrate, Ptychodus, Enchodus and Mosasaur teeth...Ammonites, Baculite, ray and sawfish teeth (micro teeth) to my collection as well as coprolites. A few samples pictured. Sifting marine fossils can be quite addictive! In addition to that my hunting buddies and I continue to find archaic material as well such as Native American arrowheads and pottery shards. The site is private property but such a beautiful, secluded place so much so there is no cell signal out there so it's just nature, hearing every species of bird and the wind rustling through the leaves, and of course one or two buddies around the bend doing their thing! I can get used to this!
- 11 replies
-
- 20
-
-
- cretaceous period
- eutaw formation
- (and 1 more)
-
Hello all! The past four months have been quite the adventure. I was introduced to shark tooth hunting in my state and have to admit its quite addictive, especially if you have permission to visit sites and those sites produce. Most of my posts have been mostly plant and trace fossils from the Carboniferous Period but now I can add the Cretaceous Period to that list of fossil find posts. Now learning to name and identify shark, fish and other marine fossil that are found on site. In this new quest I have been fortunate to join four hunting buddies who are knowledgeable in these matters. The research we all do, from studying the formations and and the potential areas in the state to contacting owners to gain access to properties in hope of finding the next sweet spots. Thank you to all the members of The Fossil Forum for peaking my interest in fossilized shark teeth hunting! Pictured are shark teeth belonging to Scapanorynchnus, Cretotoxrhina, Otodus and Sqaulicorax. The teeth placed in a circular pattern are teeth that are broken and will be place in a Mason jar for display and the teeth on side are teeth that aren't broken and will be displayed in frames. The Jasper native point was found while sifting for teeth and was quite the surprise!
- 6 replies
-
- 7
-
-
- cretaceous period
- eutaw formation
- (and 1 more)
-
It was a gorgeous hot steamy day in Central Alabama. I spent a few minutes in the sun and after 15 minutes and decided I wanted none of it! The creek ran under a clump of trees with a narrow gravel bar and a tree buried under some it. There I plopped my butt down and started sifting the gravel, this was my first time doing this and my first home built sifter! I found these shark teeth and fish tooth. It was definitely cooler under the trees with the water all around me. As our time there was about to end, the beauty of the area was shattered when three clowns show up with an AR15 shooting into the embankment and over the trees. Needless to say we got out of there quickly! Any identification with the teeth would be appreciated!
-
HI, I purchased this Unidentified theropod tooth a few years ago from a seller that sold it as a "Raptor" tooth. It is from the Kem Kem beds from Morocco, during the late Cretaceous Period. It is 1.3 Centimetres (1/2 inch) long. The seller also mentioned that it may likely be from an Abelisaurid. I think that it is most likely an Abelisaurid tooth and I am looking forward to updating it's identification tag in my collection. Yet I need to be certain that I am correctly identifying this tooth. What are your thoughts about what this tooth could be? I apologize if I spelled/addressed the names incorrectly and I would thank you for the correction. Feel free to ask for better quality pictures if you need any.
-
Article Link: http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/origolestes-lii-07880.html Enjoy!
-
- 4
-
-
- cretaceous period
- discovered
- (and 2 more)
-
I found several bone fragments with broken teeth, location is Rosebud County Montana, these were picked from a coulee located on private property. The fragments may or may not be from the same specimen but all were collected within a few yards up or downstream from each other. I was only able to attach this one pic, warning says I can only upload 3.95m.,,, is there a way to attach more without cutting picture quality?
-
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Diplopoda (Millipede) in Amber Burma Cretaceous Period (95 to 100 million years ago) This piece measures 15 mm long by 15 mm wide by 4 mm thick. Millipede is 8 mm. Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name being derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a result of two single segments fused together. Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical or flattened bodies with more than 20 segments, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll into a ball. Although the name "millipede" derives from the Latin for "thousand feet", no known species has 1,000; the record of 750 legs belongs to Illacme plenipes. There are approximately 12,000 named species classified into 16 orders and around 140 families, making Diplopoda the largest class of myriapods, an arthropod group which also includes centipedes and other multi-legged creatures. First appearing in the Silurian period, millipedes are some of the oldest known land animals. Some members of prehistoric groups grew to over 2 m (6 ft 7 in); the largest modern species reach maximum lengths of 27 to 38 cm (11 to 15 in). The longest extant species is the giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas). Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Myriapoda Class: Diplopoda -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Diplopoda (Millipede) in Amber Burma Cretaceous Period (95 to 100 million years ago) This piece measures 15 mm long by 15 mm wide by 4 mm thick. Millipede is 8 mm. Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name being derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a result of two single segments fused together. Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical or flattened bodies with more than 20 segments, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll into a ball. Although the name "millipede" derives from the Latin for "thousand feet", no known species has 1,000; the record of 750 legs belongs to Illacme plenipes. There are approximately 12,000 named species classified into 16 orders and around 140 families, making Diplopoda the largest class of myriapods, an arthropod group which also includes centipedes and other multi-legged creatures. First appearing in the Silurian period, millipedes are some of the oldest known land animals. Some members of prehistoric groups grew to over 2 m (6 ft 7 in); the largest modern species reach maximum lengths of 27 to 38 cm (11 to 15 in). The longest extant species is the giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas). Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Myriapoda Class: Diplopoda -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Diplopoda (Millipede) in Amber Burma Cretaceous Period (95 to 100 million years ago) This piece measures 15 mm long by 15 mm wide by 4 mm thick. Millipede is 8 mm. Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name being derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a result of two single segments fused together. Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical or flattened bodies with more than 20 segments, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll into a ball. Although the name "millipede" derives from the Latin for "thousand feet", no known species has 1,000; the record of 750 legs belongs to Illacme plenipes. There are approximately 12,000 named species classified into 16 orders and around 140 families, making Diplopoda the largest class of myriapods, an arthropod group which also includes centipedes and other multi-legged creatures. First appearing in the Silurian period, millipedes are some of the oldest known land animals. Some members of prehistoric groups grew to over 2 m (6 ft 7 in); the largest modern species reach maximum lengths of 27 to 38 cm (11 to 15 in). The longest extant species is the giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas). Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Myriapoda Class: Diplopoda -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Prolylleceras peruvianum Ammonite Huaraz Province Ancash, Peru Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago) Slightly compressed and high whorled with radiate to prorsiradiate, straight to flexuous ribs, with ribs continuous across venter or in some flattened on it at early growth stages. Ventrolateral and siphonal clavi subordinate to ribs. No lateral tubercles on primitive morphologies. Outer lateral punctiform to clavate tubercles in evolute species during middle growth, perhaps not disappearing completely on body chamber. Inner lateral punctiform tubercles in most evolute species restricted to young and middle growth stages. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Cephalopoda Subclass: †Ammonoidea Order: †Ammonitida Family: Prolyelliceratidae Genus: Prolylleceras Species: peruvianum -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Prolylleceras peruvianum Ammonite Huaraz Province Ancash, Peru Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago) Slightly compressed and high whorled with radiate to prorsiradiate, straight to flexuous ribs, with ribs continuous across venter or in some flattened on it at early growth stages. Ventrolateral and siphonal clavi subordinate to ribs. No lateral tubercles on primitive morphologies. Outer lateral punctiform to clavate tubercles in evolute species during middle growth, perhaps not disappearing completely on body chamber. Inner lateral punctiform tubercles in most evolute species restricted to young and middle growth stages. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Cephalopoda Subclass: †Ammonoidea Order: †Ammonitida Family: Prolyelliceratidae Genus: Prolylleceras Species: peruvianum -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Prolylleceras peruvianum Ammonite Huaraz Province Ancash, Peru Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago) Slightly compressed and high whorled with radiate to prorsiradiate, straight to flexuous ribs, with ribs continuous across venter or in some flattened on it at early growth stages. Ventrolateral and siphonal clavi subordinate to ribs. No lateral tubercles on primitive morphologies. Outer lateral punctiform to clavate tubercles in evolute species during middle growth, perhaps not disappearing completely on body chamber. Inner lateral punctiform tubercles in most evolute species restricted to young and middle growth stages. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Cephalopoda Subclass: †Ammonoidea Order: †Ammonitida Family: Prolyelliceratidae Genus: Prolylleceras Species: peruvianum -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Squalicorax pristodontus tooth Morocco Cretaceous Period (65 - 146 Million years ago) Squalicorax is a genus of extinct lamniform shark known to have lived during the Cretaceous period. These sharks are of medium size, up to 5 m (usually around 2 m) in length. Their bodies were similar to the modern gray sharks, but the shape of the teeth is strikingly similar to that of a tiger shark. The teeth are numerous, relatively small, with a curved crown and serrated, up to 2.5 – 3 cm in height (the only representative of the Mesozoic Lamniformes with serrated teeth). Large numbers of fossil teeth have been found in Europe, North Africa, and North America. Squalicorax was a coastal predator, but also scavenged as evidenced by a Squalicorax tooth found embedded in the metatarsal (foot) bone of a terrestrial hadrosaurid dinosaur that most likely died on land and ended up in the water. Other food sources included turtles, mosasaurs, ichthyodectes, and other bony fishes and sea creatures. Squalicorax pristodontus (Agassiz, 1843) is the largest species, more than 5 m long. From the size of its largest known teeth, it can be estimated that S. pristodontus grew to 5 m (16.5 ft) in length. It lived during the late Campanian to early Maastrichtian of North America, France, the Netherlands, Egypt, Morocco, and Madagascar. The relatively complete remains (vertebrae and fragments of jaws) have been found in marine sediments in North America. It is the species with the largest teeth, these teeth being loosely spaced and relatively very large in comparison with other species. In this genus of sharks studies have shown no precise correlation between the size of the teeth and the length of the body. They could eat relatively large prey and carrion. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Lamniformes Family: †Anacoracidae Genus: †Squalicorax Species: †pristodontus -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Squalicorax pristodontus tooth Morocco Cretaceous Period (65 - 146 Million years ago) Squalicorax is a genus of extinct lamniform shark known to have lived during the Cretaceous period. These sharks are of medium size, up to 5 m (usually around 2 m) in length. Their bodies were similar to the modern gray sharks, but the shape of the teeth is strikingly similar to that of a tiger shark. The teeth are numerous, relatively small, with a curved crown and serrated, up to 2.5 – 3 cm in height (the only representative of the Mesozoic Lamniformes with serrated teeth). Large numbers of fossil teeth have been found in Europe, North Africa, and North America. Squalicorax was a coastal predator, but also scavenged as evidenced by a Squalicorax tooth found embedded in the metatarsal (foot) bone of a terrestrial hadrosaurid dinosaur that most likely died on land and ended up in the water. Other food sources included turtles, mosasaurs, ichthyodectes, and other bony fishes and sea creatures. Squalicorax pristodontus (Agassiz, 1843) is the largest species, more than 5 m long. From the size of its largest known teeth, it can be estimated that S. pristodontus grew to 5 m (16.5 ft) in length. It lived during the late Campanian to early Maastrichtian of North America, France, the Netherlands, Egypt, Morocco, and Madagascar. The relatively complete remains (vertebrae and fragments of jaws) have been found in marine sediments in North America. It is the species with the largest teeth, these teeth being loosely spaced and relatively very large in comparison with other species. In this genus of sharks studies have shown no precise correlation between the size of the teeth and the length of the body. They could eat relatively large prey and carrion. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Lamniformes Family: †Anacoracidae Genus: †Squalicorax Species: †pristodontus -
Carpopenaeus Callirostris Fossilized Shrimp 1.jpg
Dpaul7 posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Carpopenaeus Callirostris Fossilized Shrimp SITE LOCATION: Hjoula, Byblos, Lebanon TIME PERIOD: Cretaceous Period (65 - 146 Million years ago) Data: Carpopenaeus is an extinct genus of prawn, which existed during the Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. It contains three species. The Decapoda or decapods (literally "ten-footed") are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns, and shrimp. Most decapods are scavengers. The order is estimated to contain nearly 15,000 species in around 2,700 genera, with around 3,300 fossil species. The Entire specimen measures 3 inches long and 1 cm thick. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Family: †Carpopenaeidae Garassino, 1994 Genus: †Carpopenaeus Species: †callirostris -
Carpopenaeus Callirostris Fossilized Shrimp 1.jpg
Dpaul7 posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Carpopenaeus Callirostris Fossilized Shrimp SITE LOCATION: Hjoula, Byblos, Lebanon TIME PERIOD: Cretaceous Period (65 - 146 Million years ago) Data: Carpopenaeus is an extinct genus of prawn, which existed during the Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. It contains three species. The Decapoda or decapods (literally "ten-footed") are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns, and shrimp. Most decapods are scavengers. The order is estimated to contain nearly 15,000 species in around 2,700 genera, with around 3,300 fossil species. The Entire specimen measures 3 inches long and 1 cm thick. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Family: †Carpopenaeidae Garassino, 1994 Genus: †Carpopenaeus Species: †callirostris -
Carpopenaeus Callirostris Fossilized Shrimp 1.jpg
Dpaul7 posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Carpopenaeus Callirostris Fossilized Shrimp SITE LOCATION: Hjoula, Byblos, Lebanon TIME PERIOD: Cretaceous Period (65 - 146 Million years ago) Data: Carpopenaeus is an extinct genus of prawn, which existed during the Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. It contains three species. The Decapoda or decapods (literally "ten-footed") are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns, and shrimp. Most decapods are scavengers. The order is estimated to contain nearly 15,000 species in around 2,700 genera, with around 3,300 fossil species. The Entire specimen measures 3 inches long and 1 cm thick. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Family: †Carpopenaeidae Garassino, 1994 Genus: †Carpopenaeus Species: †callirostris -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus Tooth Fossil SITE LOCATION: North Africa TIME PERIOD: Cretaceous Period (80.5 -66 million years ago) Data: Spinosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now North Africa, from the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period, about 112 to 97 million years ago. This genus was first known from Egyptian remains discovered in 1912 and described by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1915. The best known species is S. aegyptiacus from Egypt, although a potential second species S. maroccanus has been recovered from Morocco. Spinosaurus may be the largest of all known carnivorous dinosaurs, even larger than Tyrannosaurus and Giganotosaurus. Estimates published in 2005 and 2007 suggest that it was 12.6 to 18 metres (41 to 59 ft) in length and 7 to 20.9 tonnes (7.7 to 23.0 short tons) in weight. The skull of Spinosaurus was long and narrow like that of a modern crocodilian. Spinosaurus is known to have eaten fish; evidence suggests that it lived both on land and in water like a modern crocodilian. The distinctive spines of Spinosaurus, which were long extensions of the vertebrae, grew to at least 1.65 meters (5.4 ft) long and were likely to have had skin connecting them, forming a sail-like structure, although some authors have suggested that the spines were covered in fat and formed a hump. Multiple functions have been put forward for this structure, including thermoregulation and display. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Family: †Spinosauridae Genus: †Spinosaurus Species: †aegyptiacus -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Elasmosaur vertebrae SITE LOCATION: Morocco TIME PERIOD: Cretaceous Period (80.5 -66 million years ago) Data: Elasmosaurus is a genus of plesiosaur lived in North America in the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian stage), 80.5 million years ago. The first specimen was discovered near Fort Wallace, Kansas, and were sent to the American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, who named it E. platyurus in 1868. The generic name means "thin-plate reptile", and the specific name platyurus means "flat-tailed". Cope originally reconstructed the skeleton of Elasmosaurus with the skull at the end of the tail, an error which was made light of by the paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh, and became part of their "Bone Wars" rivalry. Only one incomplete Elasmosaurus skeleton is known, and a single species is recognised today; other species are now considered invalid or have been moved to other genera. Elasmosaurus was 10.3 metres (34 ft) long, and would have had a streamlined body with paddle-like limbs, a short tail, small head, and an extremely long neck. Along with its relative Albertonectes, it was one of the longest-necked animals to have lived, with the largest amount of neck vertebrae known, 72. The skull would have been slender and triangular, with large, fang-like teeth at the front, and smaller teeth towards the back. It had six teeth in each premaxilla of the upper jaw, and may have had 14 teeth in the maxilla ad 19 in the dentary of the lower jaw. Most of the neck vertebrae were compressed sideways, and bore a longitudinal crest or keel along the sides. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: †Plesiosauria Family: †Elasmosauridae Genus: †Elasmosaurus -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Elasmosaur vertebrae SITE LOCATION: Morocco TIME PERIOD: Cretaceous Period (80.5 -66 million years ago) Data: Elasmosaurus is a genus of plesiosaur lived in North America in the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian stage), 80.5 million years ago. The first specimen was discovered near Fort Wallace, Kansas, and were sent to the American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, who named it E. platyurus in 1868. The generic name means "thin-plate reptile", and the specific name platyurus means "flat-tailed". Cope originally reconstructed the skeleton of Elasmosaurus with the skull at the end of the tail, an error which was made light of by the paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh, and became part of their "Bone Wars" rivalry. Only one incomplete Elasmosaurus skeleton is known, and a single species is recognised today; other species are now considered invalid or have been moved to other genera. Elasmosaurus was 10.3 metres (34 ft) long, and would have had a streamlined body with paddle-like limbs, a short tail, small head, and an extremely long neck. Along with its relative Albertonectes, it was one of the longest-necked animals to have lived, with the largest amount of neck vertebrae known, 72. The skull would have been slender and triangular, with large, fang-like teeth at the front, and smaller teeth towards the back. It had six teeth in each premaxilla of the upper jaw, and may have had 14 teeth in the maxilla ad 19 in the dentary of the lower jaw. Most of the neck vertebrae were compressed sideways, and bore a longitudinal crest or keel along the sides. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: †Plesiosauria Family: †Elasmosauridae Genus: †Elasmosaurus -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Elasmosaur vertebrae SITE LOCATION: Morocco TIME PERIOD: Cretaceous Period (80.5 -66 million years ago) Data: Elasmosaurus is a genus of plesiosaur lived in North America in the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian stage), 80.5 million years ago. The first specimen was discovered near Fort Wallace, Kansas, and were sent to the American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, who named it E. platyurus in 1868. The generic name means "thin-plate reptile", and the specific name platyurus means "flat-tailed". Cope originally reconstructed the skeleton of Elasmosaurus with the skull at the end of the tail, an error which was made light of by the paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh, and became part of their "Bone Wars" rivalry. Only one incomplete Elasmosaurus skeleton is known, and a single species is recognised today; other species are now considered invalid or have been moved to other genera. Elasmosaurus was 10.3 metres (34 ft) long, and would have had a streamlined body with paddle-like limbs, a short tail, small head, and an extremely long neck. Along with its relative Albertonectes, it was one of the longest-necked animals to have lived, with the largest amount of neck vertebrae known, 72. The skull would have been slender and triangular, with large, fang-like teeth at the front, and smaller teeth towards the back. It had six teeth in each premaxilla of the upper jaw, and may have had 14 teeth in the maxilla ad 19 in the dentary of the lower jaw. Most of the neck vertebrae were compressed sideways, and bore a longitudinal crest or keel along the sides. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: †Plesiosauria Family: †Elasmosauridae Genus: †Elasmosaurus
