The Plesiosaur Site
About this site
This site is intended to give serious and detailed information on the order plesiosauria, to provide a forum for discussion and for the presentation of ideas no matter how wild and fanciful on the palaeontology, taxonomy, biomechanics, biology and ecological role of members of the order. I hope that people will send in material I can include here.
What is a plesiosaur?
It is not concerned with
- Strange creatures lurking in lakes in Scotland, Sweden, Canada or anywhere else. Because I am asked the question so frequently I have added a page explaining why the Loch Ness monster is not a plesiosaur.
- Decomposing sharks or any other modern marine animals. Decomposing carcases are frequently interpreted as being those of plesiosaurs, and I am contacted frequently by people trying to argue that that is what they are. All the pictures I've seen show something that is completely unlike a plesiosaur even superficially, and marine biologists and shark experts confirm again and again that these are the carcases of sharks, probably basking sharks. Have a look at http://monsterscience.org/wordpress/?p=121 for a report by Glen Kuban and http://monsterscience.org/wordpress/?p=140 for a review by my friend and colleague Adam Smith.
If anyone
- has any comments
- finds any mistakes
- wants to contribute their own views
- has any pictures I can include without breaching copyright
- wants to register material in collections I have not included
- has draft papers to circulate for comment
- has any wild idea to air
- thinks this is all a load of tosh
Please contact me
e: moc.ruasoiselp@drahcir
What is
a plesiosaur?