Plesiosaurus came in different forms such as P. macrocephalus with an extremely large skull in comparison to other plesiosauroids. These animals were slow but verry manoeuvrable. They could turn around quickly and the head could lash out to prey.

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Family: Cryptoclididae
Name: Cryptoclidus
Time: Late Jurassic - Late Cretaceous
Geography: Europe (Engeland)
Length: 4 meter

Members of this family that lived from the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous did not have the same long necks as the Plesiosaurs their necks were build out of approximately thirthy vertebrates, the snouts of these animals were long. Cryptoclidus had a large number of curved, sharp teeth.

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Family: Elasmosauridae
Name: Muraenosaurus
Time: Late Jurassic
Geography: Europe
Length: 6 meter

Muraenosaurus was a member of the the most succesfull group of Plesiosaurs called Elasmosaurs. This group originate in the Middle Jurassic and died out at the end of the Cretaceous. The neck of Muraenosaurus  consisted out of 44 vertebrates and was longer than its tail and body together. The skull was small.

Elasmosaurus is the longest representative of the Elasmosauridae and also the longest Plesiosaurus. The neck was 5 meter long, consiting out of maximal 71 vertebrates (early prlesiosaurs only had 28). Some scientist think that Elasmosaurus lived at the surface of the water, catching prey with their long necks.

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