Plesiosaurus
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Plesiosaurus (プレシオサウルス Pureshiosaurusu) is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the early Jurassic Period. A giant Plesiosaurus appears in the 1977 film Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds.
Name
The name "Plesiosaurus" means "near to lizard" and is a combination of two Greek words — plesios (meaning "near") and sauros (meaning "lizard"). This name was given because the animal was originally considered a close relative of lizards.[2] A large extinct group that includes long-necked (Plesiosaurus, Elasmosaurus) and short-necked (Liopleurodon) aquatic reptiles was named Plesiosauria, derived from the name of this genus.
Appearance
Since its discovery in the 1800s, Plesiosaurus has been depicted as a marine reptile of modest size, with a long neck, a small head with a mouth full of sharp teeth, a short tail, and flipper-like limbs. The tails of Plesiosaurus and other plesiosaurs have often been depicted as entirely pointed, but more recent evidence supports the idea that they had flukes at the ends of their tails.[3] Based on remains of a very complete specimen of Plesiopterys found in 2025, it is likely that other plesiosaurs―like Plesiosaurus―would have had smooth skin, and scales on parts of their bodies such as on their flippers.[4][5]
In Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds, the Plesiosaurus possesses some of the typical traits of the real-life animal, such as a long neck, a small head, and flippers. However, it is significantly larger than its real-life counterpart, with a proportionally longer and thinner neck. It also has long tail, and its fins are clawed similar to seal or sea lion. It has large eyes with yellowish pupils and red sclera, and blade-like teeth in its mouth. It has rough skin that is gray in color, and water plants strewn across its body.
History
Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds
A Plesiosaurus inhabited Lake Sai near Ashiwada village, and in the present―around the time of the Dragon God Festival celebrated locally―had been causing disappearances of people and animals in and around the lake. The Plesiosaurus attacked couple that was on the lake in a paddle boat, destroying their craft and killing them. One night, it traveled onto land and killed a stray horse in Aokigahara. Later that night, it returned to the site of its kill and dragged the horse carcass into a tree.
On the day of the Dragon God Festival, the Plesiosaurus collided into a floating stage on the lake undetected, causing it to collapse. Two student divers―Hiroshi and Susumu―who happened to pull a prank around the time of the attack, were returning to shore to meet up with their friend Jiro, when the Plesiosaurus attacked and killed the two students.
A short time after, the Plesiosaurus traveled onto land, and encountered a house with a woman inside. The marine reptile smashed through the house and devoured the woman inside. Soon after, it traveled back to Lake Sai, where underwater photographer Akiko and her friend Junko were at the time. The Plesiosaurus killed Junko, who had remained in the boat.
Following this death and the five disappearances prior, a search of Lake Sai was conducted to try and find the Plesiosaurus, but after two days, not even aerial surveillance and sonar could find the creature. When geologist Ashiwada, who was later joined by Akiko, attempted to find the animal in the lake, they end up travelling finding a cave that led them to Aokigahara, where the Plesiosaurus attacked them. It chased the two into a cave and attempted to get to them, but a Rhamphorhynchus attacked it. The two prehistoric reptiles fought each other as Mount Fuji began to erupt, with the Rhamphorhynchus managing to peck the Plesiosaurus' eye out. However, their battle was ended when violent tremors from the eruption opened up fissures around the animals, and they fell into the fiery depths below and perished.
Abilities
Physical abilities
In Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds, the Plesiosaurus' primarily uses its jaws to attack, maiming its victims such as humans and livestock, and biting the Rhamphorhynchus during their battle. The Plesiosaurus also possesses considerable strength, being able to damage boats and houses. The Plesiosaurus also used its tail to pummel Hiroshi and Susumu in their boat. During its battle with the Rhamphorhynchus, the Plesiosaurus also made use of its head and neck to bat the Rhamphorhynchus out of the air.
Amphibiousness
The Plesiosaurus in Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds was capable of walking on land, a feat impossible for the real-world species but depicted in contemporary paleoart and sightings of the plesiosaur-like Loch Ness Monster.
Gallery
Production
Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds
Screenshots
Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds
Trivia
- The 2021 film Zillafoot makes a brief mention of the (otherwise unseen) Disco-Plesiosaur, a humorous homage to the Plesiosaurus and the soundtrack of Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds. The Disco-Plesiosaur is described as a lake monster who lives near Mt. Fuji and can summon forth "funky beats" to force humans to dance in its presence.
External links
See also
References
This is a list of references for Plesiosaurus. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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