PLIOSAURS
Copyright 2008
By Mason Emerson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Spitsbergen.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kronosaurus.jpg
The word pliosaurs is from Greek words meaning Fin Lizards. They
lived in the ocean in the Urassica and Cretaceous Periods. There were
different kinds of pliosaurs such as Kronosaurus Liopleurodon.
Pliosaurs had a short neck and long head. They swam fast by paddling
with four flippers. They probably ate large fish, animals similar to
squid, and other reptiles. They had strong jaws with many sharp teeth.
Fossils of pliosaurs have been found in England, Mexico, South
America, Australia and the Arctic region near Norway. Most were 5-6
meters (16-20 feet) long. However, scientists found fossils of one almost
15 meters (50 feet) feet long in 2006 and weighing 15-20 tons. It was
about 150 million years old.
It was found near Diabasodden on Spitsbergen, an island in the
Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard about 1300 km (800 miles) from the
North Pole. However, when it lived Svalbard was farther from the pole,
and the climate was much warmer.
Joern Hurum and Hans Arne Nakrem from the University of Oslo led
the discovery and excavation team. They plan to return to the area to
make at least 40 more excavations of other fossils such as for plesiosaurs
and ichthyosaurs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Spitsbergen_labelled.png
LEARN MORE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliosaur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitspergen
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229101002.htm
http://www.svalbard-images.com/news/index.php?2006/10/16/6-an-entire-pliosaurdiscovered-in-svalbard
http://thepoormouth.blogspot.com/2008/02/leviathans-big-brother.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080226-sea-monsters_2.html