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The team reports that the mechanical plesiosaurs swam best when all four flippers were used for swimming. ... As the front flippers flapped, they created a vortex of water under the body. The back flippers would then flap between the whirlpools which better used the energy expended.
- How fast did a plesiosaur swim?
- How did Elasmosaurus swim?
- Can a plesiosaur breathe underwater?
- Why did plesiosaurs have long necks?
- What dinosaur is the fastest swimmer?
- How do plesiosaurs move?
- How flexible was a plesiosaur neck?
- Did Elasmosaurus breathe underwater?
- What's the spitting dinosaur in Jurassic Park?
- How did plesiosaurs breathe?
- Can plesiosaur walk land?
- Why is a plesiosaur not a dinosaur?
- How many teeth does a plesiosaur have?
- What did a plesiosaur eat?
How fast did a plesiosaur swim?
“Studies have shown an optimal swimming speed for plesiosaurs of about 0.4 m/s (1.44 km/h) to a maximum sustained speed of about 2.5 m/s (9 km/h) (like today's dolphins), depending on joint movement of the limbs and specific species.
How did Elasmosaurus swim?
This was a slow swimming reptile. It had four paddles for swimmng that would have been rigid - perfect for swiming. It is unlikely that it would have been able to move on land. Scientist think it may have given birth to its young in the water like sea snakes do today.
Can a plesiosaur breathe underwater?
Probably not. Plesiosaurs are found in shallow seas and even freshwater lakes. They were able to dive down, but they fed near the surface and had no need to go deep. Being reptiles, they had to breathe air, so there would have to be a good reason for them to leave the surface for a long time.
Why did plesiosaurs have long necks?
"A steady neck would be more hydrodynamic than a bent neck, and due to the pressure on a bent neck, plesiosaurs would probably only bend them when moving at slow speeds or when floating,' says Ms Troelsen. ... Several possible theories suggest that plesiosaurs may have developed long necks to extend their feeding range.
What dinosaur is the fastest swimmer?
Fastest swimming dinosaur award goes to: spinosaurus.
How do plesiosaurs move?
A fish propels itself by swishing its tail side to side, while a dolphin flaps its tail up and down. But the plesiosaur is the only known animal that swam with four nearly identical flippers. Early work in the 1920s argued the plesiosaur's four flippers moved like oars, in a simultaneous rowing motion.
How flexible was a plesiosaur neck?
Nevertheless, Nagesan and colleagues found that Nichollssaura had the most flexibility in the side-to-side range of motion. ... The plesiosaur was also able to angle its neck upwards and downwards, but not nearly with the same flexibility.
Did Elasmosaurus breathe underwater?
Like Other Marine Reptiles, Elasmosaurus Had to Breathe Air
They weren't equipped with gills, like fish and sharks, and couldn't live below water 24 hours a day.
What's the spitting dinosaur in Jurassic Park?
The poison-spitting dinosaur reconstructed in Jurassic Park is Dilophosaurus. At the time the movie was produced, there was no evidence that this or any other dinosaur spat poison or had poisonous saliva of any kind.
How did plesiosaurs breathe?
Plesiosaurs breathed air, and bore live young; there are indications that they were warm-blooded. Plesiosaurs showed two main morphological types. Some species, with the "plesiosauromorph" build, had (sometimes extremely) long necks and small heads; these were relatively slow and caught small sea animals.
Can plesiosaur walk land?
The fossil's abdominal cavity contains tiny bones—parts of a plesiosaur that hadn't been born by the time its mother died. ... "Scientists have long known that the bodies of plesiosaurs were not well suited to climbing onto land and laying eggs in a nest [like dinosaurs].
Why is a plesiosaur not a dinosaur?
Plesiosaurs inhabited the seas from around 200 million to 65 million years ago. They were not dinosaurs, despite living at the same time as dinos. It is thought that plesiosaurs fed mainly on fish, breathed air and laid their eggs on beaches.
How many teeth does 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.
What did a plesiosaur eat?
They ate fish, squids, mollusks and other small sea creatures. Recently, scientists have found evidence that the Plesiosaurs may have also been "bottom-feeders". That is, they would feed from the bottom of the sea - on things like clams and snails.
