Jurassic Depths

Not a DinosaurWhen we think of prehistoric animals we almost always imagine a T-rex or maybe a Velociraptor. But what about the amazing animals that swam in the seas millions of years ago? They would have been just as impressive and just as deadly.

The Plesiosaurus was a predator. They hunted and ate other fish and animals in the Jurassic seas. They ate ammonites, fish and belemnites. They swam using their four paddles. They used their long neck to steer through the water.

Remember, only animals that lived on the land should be called dinosaurs! Reptiles that lived in the ocean are called marine reptiles.

Look at this picture of a belemnite (bel-em-nite). Belemnites were one of the sources of food for the Plesiosaurus. Does it look familiar to you?

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Jurassic Depths

PLESIOSAURUS : (plesios = ‘near to’ | sauros = ‘lizard’ )

What was it? A marine reptile

When was it alive? Between 200 and 175 million years ago (the early Jurassic period)

How big was it? About 3 metres long

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Jurassic Depths

Percy the Plesiosaur

Fossils and Dinosaurs www.dinosaurs.lgfl.net   ©LGfL

Jurassic DepthsThe Plesiosaur on display in Manchester Museum is called Percy. Percy was uncovered in North Yorkshire. He was discovered by a geologist called Fred Broadhurst and his students. They were on a geology field trip in 1960. They worked for days in bad weather to get the fossil remains.

Percy was taken to Manchester in three big sections. The remains are 180 million years old. They are one of the most complete Plesiosaur fossils ever discovered. Paleontologists come from all over the world to visit and study Percy.

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