A pair of Elasmosaurus engage in a swimming courtship dance

A pair of 40-foot-long Elasmosaurus engage in a swimming courtship dance in a secluded pool 80 million years ago in what is today North America. The gull-like birds are Ichthyornis, the Cretaceous ecological equivalent of modern seabirds such as gulls, petrels, and skimmers. At over two tons, Elasmosaurus was an air-breathing carnivorous reptile with flippers for limbs and a relatively small head with sharp teeth. More than half of its length was neck which had more than 70 vertebrae, more than any other animal

Biology Chasing Elasmosaurus Estuary Oasis Oceanography Paleoichthyology Piscivore Plesiosaur Sauropterygia Scavenger Seabird Seaway Waterways

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