Are plesiosaurs related to dinosaurs?

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.

Are plesiosaurs lizards?

The Plesiosauria (/ˌpliːsiəˈsɔːriə, -zi-/; Greek: πλησίος, plesios, meaning “near to” and sauros, meaning “lizard”) or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia.

What are the 4 groups of marine reptiles?

Different lineages of reptiles invaded marine environments in the Mesozoic, giving rise to at least a dozen groups. The four major groups are Sauropterygia, Ichthyopterygia, Mosasauridae, and Chelonioidea (sea turtles).

What are ichthyosaurs related to?

ichthyosaur, any member of an extinct group of aquatic reptiles, most of which were very similar to porpoises in appearance and habits. These distant relatives of lizards and snakes (lepidosaurs) were the most highly specialized aquatic reptiles, but ichthyosaurs were not dinosaurs.

Is crocodile a dinosaur?

As far as reptiles go, crocodiles are closely related to dinosaurs. But they’re incredibly complex biological organisms that survived the meteor impact that ended the Cretaceous period roughly 66 million years ago — and did in their dinosaur relatives.

Where was plesiosaur found?

Plesiosaurs had a wide distribution in European seas and around the Pacific Ocean, including Australia, North America, and Asia. Plesiosaurus, an early plesiosaur, was about 4.5 metres (15 feet) long, with a broad, flat body and a relatively short tail.

Where do plesiosaurs live?

Plesiosauria were marine reptiles living between the late Triassic and late Cretaceous periods, covering about 155 million years. They were completely aquatic. Fossils have been found in coastal areas near Europe, and in the Pacific around Asia, Australia, and North America.

Where are marine reptiles found?

They inhabit the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, though very limited reports of sightings suggest they may be extending into the Atlantic Ocean.

Is a frog a reptile?

Amphibians are frogs, toads, newts and salamanders. Most amphibians have complex life cycles with time on land and in the water. Their skin must stay moist to absorb oxygen and therefore lacks scales. Reptiles are turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators and crocodiles.

What caused dinosaurs to go extinct?

A big meteorite crashed into Earth, changing the climatic conditions so dramatically that dinosaurs could not survive. Ash and gas spewing from volcanoes suffocated many of the dinosaurs. Diseases wiped out entire populations of dinosaurs. Food chain imbalances lead to the starvation of the dinosaurs.

Where are ichthyosaurs found?

Science became aware of the existence of ichthyosaurs during the early nineteenth century, when the first complete skeletons were found in England. In 1834, the order Ichthyosauria was named. Later that century, many excellently preserved ichthyosaur fossils were discovered in Germany, including soft-tissue remains.