What is a Pliosaur?
Pliosaurs (Greek for: “sailing lizards” or “fin lizards”) were a suborder of marine reptiles that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, from about 200 million years ago (Thalassiodracon) to about 85 million years ago, when they died out. Ranging in length from 4 to 15 meters (13-50 ft), pliosaurs were carnivores that mostly ate fish, but probably also ichthyosaurs and other plesiosaurs. The pliosaurs are one of two suborders of order Plesiosauria, alongside their close relatives, the better-known plesiosaurs. Pliosaurs were slender animals, but stockier than their relatives the plesiosaurs, and had short necks. Instead of long necks and short heads, like plesiosaurs, the pliosaur had a long head and short neck, more like a crocodile. The largest pliosaurs had heads 2 m (6.5 ft) long. Unlike some plesiosaurs, which mostly kept to small fish, pliosaurs seem highly adapted for large prey. With a 10 ft (3 m) jaw and teeth the size of cucumbers, the largest pliosaurs could have
