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PLESIOSAUR, any of a group of carnivorous ocean-dwelling reptiles that flourished during the Age of Reptiles, from late Triassic times to the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago. Two major types of plesiosaur existed, one with a long neck and relatively small head, and the other with a short neck and a large head. Both types were more than 12 m (40 ft) long, depending on the species, but the head of the short-necked types could account for about a fourth of the total length. The limbs of plesiosaurs were like flippers; the tail was short. |