Elasmosauridae

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family of extinct marine reptiles characterized by extremely long necks and flipper-like limbs, belonging to the order Plesiosauria and known for their adaptation to aquatic life during the Mesozoic era
2. A taxonomic group of prehistoric sea-dwelling reptiles notable for elongated cervical vertebrae and paddle-shaped appendages, classified within the diverse plesiosaurs inhabiting ancient oceans
3. An extinct clade of marine reptiles distinguished by their elongated neck vertebrae and limb modifications for swimming, part of the Plesiosauria order that thrived in Mesozoic seas

Etymology: Elasmosauridae is a family name, and its story is really the story of its root. The first part, "elasmo-," comes from Greek "elasmos," meaning "beaten metal" or "thin plate," a reference to the broad, flattened bones of the animal's shoulder girdle. The second part, "-saurid," comes from Greek "sauros," "lizard," which palaeontologists used for many extinct reptiles. The family name was formed by adding the standard zoological suffix "-idae" to the genus name Elasmosaurus, so the whole word is a modern scientific coinage rather than an ancient one. The genus Elasmosaurus was named in 1868 by the American palaeontologist Edward Drinker Cope, who described it from fossils found in Kansas. Cope's interest in the animal's neck was notable: it contained around 70 vertebrae, far more than any other reptile known at the time, which made the creature look almost like a snake threaded through a turtle-shaped body. The family name was established later, once more species with similar anatomy had been identified.