When elasmosaurus cruised through prehistoric oceans, it must have made a strange sight: This snaggle-tooth creature had a neck like a giraffe and a body that resembled a whale with a tail! This dino could sneak next to prey and attack without the victim realizing there was a 46-foot-long monster lurking there. Jaws brimming with a tangle of sharp teeth finished prey with a single bite.
Stones: This ancient reptile swallowed stones to help it digest tough meals and also to add weight so it would sink in the water, like a water-filled ballast tank on a submarine. Only hard, heavy rocks would work, though, and elasmosaurus would swim hundreds of miles to find the best ones.
Cage Mouth: Elasmosaurus had a small head, limiting the size of the prey it could eat. Small fish and mollusks didn't stand a chance against this beast, as one bite with its razor sharp, interlocking teeth would trap them in its jaws.
Winner by a Neck[]
Scientists work years to put together all the parts to make a complete fossil.
Elasmosaurus' long, awkward-looking neck was actually a great hunting tool. The beast had better vision than most other creatures in the sea, so it could see prey from far away in the water. Plus, elasmosaurus could approach victims without scaring them off; as it's small head and long neck came within striking distance, other fish couldn't see its huge body so far behind it, so they didn't realize the hunter was dangerous—until elasmosaurus struck, like a giant sea snake.
No Slice: Elasmosaurus was hunted by beasts such as mosasaurs, which could slice elasmosaurus' neck in half with a single bite. Elasmosaurus could escape by holding its long neck straight to streamline itself in the water and swimming away at high speed.
Fossil Fight! In the 19th century, Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope were fossil hunters in a rivalry called the "bone wars." Cope discovered elasmosaurus, but was ridiculed by Marsh when Cope mistakenly attached the reptile's skull to its tail.
Even Experts Can be Wrong[]
When scientists first saw fossils of elasmosaurus' long neck, they thought the creature lifted its head above the water's surface to strike down at fish below. They later realized that didn't happen. Such repetitive impacts with the water would have caused its neck great injury and eventually crippled the beast.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The Elasmosaurus’ art is also used in the book Dinosaurs: The World's Most Terrifying Creatures, where it’s referred to as Libonectes.
- As for why the two different species share an illustration, Libonectes morgani is a species of Elasmosauridae which was once considered a part of the elasmosaurus genus directly, but was moved to its own in 1997[1].
- The elasmosaurus is mentioned on several other cards:
- It's mentioned as prey on the Kronosaurus's knowledge card.
- It's referenced as a possible explanation for Morgawr on the cryptid's knowledge card.
- The elasmosaurus is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Man & Beast on Monster Mania 97.
- It is next featured in Timeline Tracker on Monster Mania 105.