Elasmosaurus Platyurus (Thin-plated lizard) is a large plesiosaur (a type of marine mammal) that lived during the late Cretaceous period. Elasmosaurus weighed about 4500 pounds and was approximately 15 meters in length. Its diet primarily consisted of squid and fish, but it ate other sea creatures as well.

Elasmosaurus possess an extremely long neck. Being about twenty-five feet long and consisting of seventy-one neck vertebrae. They had a flat skull and a mouth full of long, sharp teeth. Instead of feet, Elasmosaurs had four flippers which they used for swimming, and a long tail.

Elasmosaurus lived in deep oceans and were very good swimmers. Although they didn’t swim very fast, Elsamosaurus went long distances in search of breeding grounds.

Although several species of Elasmosaurus have been found over the years, only Elasmosaurus platyurus has been classified as a valid species belonging to the genus. Other species believed to be Elasmosaurus have been reclassified as close relatives such as Styxosaurus and Hydralmosaurus.

Elasmosaurus was first discovered in Kansas in the year 1868 by a man named Theophilus Turner. Since then other fossil specimens have been found across the US including Alaska.

Sources:

https://www.extinctanimals.org/elasmosaurus.htm