GnathostomataElasmosauridae

Thalassomedon haningtoni

Thalassomedon haningtoni skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, reconstructed length ~11.7 m.
Scale bar = 1 meter
Taxon
Thalassomedon haningtoni Welles, 1943
Reconstructed length
~11.7 m (38 feet)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2015, revised 2017
Clade
  1. Gnathostomata
  2. Tetrapoda
  3. Amniota
  4. Sauropsida
  5. Plesiosauria
  6. Elasmosauridae

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Thalassomedon was among the largest members of the group of classic, long-necked plesiosaurs. Reaching lengths of up to 12 m (39 feet) and 4-5 tonnes in mass, they would have needed to eat lots of fish and cephalopods in the Late Cretaceous North American inland sea.

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