1.
plesiosaur
An extinct group of large, long-necked marine reptiles (order Plesiosauria) that lived from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous, alongside the dinosaurs. Famous for their swan-like necks, paddle-shaped flippers, and small heads. The supposed Loch Ness Monster is most often imagined to be a surviving plesiosaur.
Plesiosaurs lived in the same era as the dinosaurs but are not themselves dinosaurs.
Composed of 首 (neck), 長 (long), and 竜 (dragon; reptile, used in scientific names). Literally 'long-necked dragon,' the name is a transparent native-Japanese coinage for the reptile group, parallel to English 'plesiosaur.'
Usage
A paleontology and natural-history term encountered in museum displays, children's dinosaur books, science magazines, and discussions of cryptids. Often confused with dinosaurs (恐竜), but plesiosaurs are a separate group of marine reptiles. Famous Japanese examples include the Futabasaurus (フタバスズキリュウ) discovered in Fukushima in 1968, which became a cultural icon and the basis for the friendly plesiosaur in the Doraemon film 'Nobita's Dinosaur.'
Common collocations
- 首長竜の化石: plesiosaur fossil
- 首長竜の骨格: plesiosaur skeleton
- 首長竜類: plesiosaurs (as a group)
- 大型の首長竜: large plesiosaur
Similar words
- 恐竜: dinosaur — a separate reptile group; plesiosaurs are NOT dinosaurs
- 翼竜: pterosaur — flying reptile of the same era, also not a dinosaur
- 魚竜: ichthyosaur — another extinct marine reptile, dolphin-shaped
- モササウルス: mosasaur — large predatory marine reptile, distinct from plesiosaurs
Related Words
Compare:
恐竜 (dinosaur)