Liopleurodon Size report

Liopleurodon is a marine reptile that lived about 170 million to 155 million years ago, during the late Jurassic period. The long jaw of Liopleurodon was full of sharp teeth; the Name Liopleurodon means "Smooth-Sided Teeth." Liopleurodon was a carnivorous marine reptile belonging to the short-necked pliosaur suborder of the plesiosaur order. Their stout bodies swim in the water, driven by four medium-sized paddle fins.

In addition to floating up to breathe, Liopleurodon spent their entire lives in the water. The structure of the nasal cavity of Liopleurodon allowed it to smell in the water so that Liopleurodon could detect the whereabouts of prey from a long distance. They were ovoviviparous and gave birth in shallow waters.

In the documentary "Walking with Dinosaurs" filmed by the BBC, in the second episode, "Dangerous Ocean," Liopleurodon is described as the top predator in the Jurassic ocean, with a body length of 25 meters and a weight of 150 tons. The huge size of Liopleurodon undoubtedly left a deep impression on everyone, so many people still think it is a supergiant in the Mesozoic ocean, which is wrong. Let's learn more about Liopleurodon in the following post.

Liopleurodon Size And Appearance

Liopleurodon was a giant, carnivorous marine reptile that lived in the middle and late Jurassic periods. Some relatively well-preserved Liopleurodon skeleton fossils clearly show the arrangement of teeth and the shape of its head. The body of Liopleurodon was streamlined, with four huge paddle-shaped fins on both sides. Paleontologists believe that Liopleurodon's front and rear fins served different purposes: the front flipped, while the rear kicked and rotated. This way of movement allowed the huge Liopleurodon to have a relatively fast swimming speed.

Liopleurodon's body was light-colored on the belly and dark on the back and head, making it difficult for prey to spot them in oceans. The snout resembles a crocodile with curved and sharp teeth. Liopleurodon sometimes bit large wading dinosaurs and dragged them into the deep sea. When preying on fish, they may swallow whole prey without chewing. In addition to hunting prey, Liopleurodon also ate small rocks. Rocks not only help them digest their food but also help control sinking.

Average Size of Liopleurodon

The known largest Liopleurodon was about 8 meters in length and 2 tons in weight. However, people speculate that Liopleurodon can grow up to 25 meters. Liopleurodon belongs to the pliosaurs, and a large head characterizes this family. The largest piece of Liopleurodon skull found so far is 1.26 meters long, and its body length should be 6.39 meters. According to the fossil fragments of different individuals that have been discovered, the average body length of Liopleurodon was between 5 and 7 meters, and the weight was 1 to 1.7 tons.

Final Words

The average body length of Liopleurodon does not exceed 7 meters, and it is only small compared with other giant marine reptiles of the Mesozoic Era. Liopleurodon can be regarded as the "number one killer" in the Jurassic ocean. Archaeologists have found bite marks of Liopleurodon on many animal fossils, including large ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Do you know that Liopleurodon was an ovoviviparous animal? Many fish reproduce in this way to adapt to the dangerous marine environment.