Futabasaurus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Futabasaurus Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous
Reconstructed skeleton
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Sauropterygia
Order:	Plesiosauria
Family:	Nessiterasidae
Genus:	Futabasaurus

Model based off Nessiteras

Futabasaurus was a type of plesiosaur, which was a large marine reptile that lived in the ocean. It lived during the Upper Cretaceous period, which was about 100 to 66 million years ago. Scientists have not yet found a complete skeleton of Futabasaurus, so we don't know everything about it.

What was Futabasaurus?

Futabasaurus was a kind of plesiosaur, a group of ancient marine reptiles. Plesiosaurs had long necks, small heads, and four large flippers. They swam in the seas during the time of the dinosaurs. Futabasaurus was also an elasmosaurid. This means it belonged to a family of plesiosaurs known for their very long necks.

Where was it found?

The first Futabasaurus fossils were found in Japan. This was a very important discovery because it was the first elasmosaurid ever found in Japan. The specific type of Futabasaurus discovered is called F. suzukii. When scientists find a new animal, they give it a "type species" name. This helps them identify and study it.

What happened to Futabasaurus?

When scientists studied the bones of the first Futabasaurus found, they saw something interesting. Many of the bones had marks on them. These marks suggest that sharks might have eaten or scavenged the body of the Futabasaurus after it died. Scavenging means eating an animal that is already dead. This gives us clues about what the ocean was like millions of years ago.

Images for kids

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  Cast of fossils of Futabasaurus suzukii exhibited at the National Museum of Nature and Science

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  Pre-2006 skeletal mount which is informally labelled as "Wellesisaurus sudzuki" (with a large stone containing crinoids and ammonites in the background)

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  Fossils