Dolichorhynchops was a plesiosaur, a type of marine reptile. It was not a dinosaur, though it coexisted with many dinosaurs. The first Dolichorhynchops fossil was discovered in 1903.

Quick facts about Dolichorhynchops:

  • Existed from 93.9 million years ago to Maastrichtian Age
  • Lived in a marine environment
  • Was a carnivore
  • Reproduced by live birth
  • 16 different specimens have been found by paleontologists

All the Dolichorhynchops illustrations below were collected from the internet. Enjoy and explore:

Dolichorhynchops was described by the following scientific paper(s):
  • T. Sato and X.-C. Wu. 2011. Braincase of a polycotylid plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Manitoba, Canada. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31(2):313-329
  • G. F. Sternberg and M. V. Walker. 1957. Report on a plesiosaur skeleton from western Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 60:86-87
  • F. R. O'Keefe. 2008. Cranial anatomy and taxonomy of Dolichorhynchops bonneri new combination, a polycotylid (Sauropteryga: Plesiosauria) from the Pierre Shale of Wyoming and South Dakota. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28(3):664-676