Plesiosauroidea

Plesiosauroidea is a clade of extinct marine reptiles within Plesiosauria, generally characterized by relatively small heads and long necks. Its members propelled themselves through water with four paddle-shaped limbs.

Plesiosauria: Plesiosauria is an order of extinct marine reptiles with four large flippers and compact bodies. Plesiosauroidea is one of the principal clades within this broader group.
Pliosauroidea: Pliosauroidea is a plesiosaur clade generally characterized by large heads and relatively short necks. Its contrasting body proportions are the classic counterpart to plesiosauroid form.
Plesiosaurus: Plesiosaurus is a Jurassic plesiosaur genus with a small head and long neck. It is a historically influential example of the body plan that gave plesiosaurs their name.
Plesiosaur fossil record: The plesiosaur fossil record consists of marine reptile remains spanning much of the Mesozoic Era. Its chronology places plesiosauroid lineages within the broader history of plesiosaurs.
Sauropterygia: Sauropterygia is a major group of extinct aquatic reptiles that includes plesiosaurs and placodonts. It places plesiosauroids within the larger radiation of aquatic reptiles.
Plesiosauridae: Plesiosauridae is a family of long-necked plesiosaurs known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous. It represents a major plesiosauroid lineage with a more specific taxonomic scope.
Elasmosaurus: Elasmosaurus is a Late Cretaceous plesiosaur genus famed for its extremely long neck. Its anatomy illustrates how far neck elongation evolved within Plesiosauroidea.
Plesiosauria classification: Plesiosauria classification groups fossil taxa using anatomical characters and inferred evolutionary relationships. Plesiosauroidea's membership and boundaries depend on competing phylogenetic analyses.
Plesiosaur anatomy: Plesiosaur anatomy combines a broad body, four flippers, and a variable neck and skull. Its shared body plan helps distinguish plesiosauroids from unrelated marine reptiles.
Elasmosauridae: Elasmosauridae is a family of plesiosaurs with exceptionally long necks and numerous cervical vertebrae. Elasmosaurids are an especially extreme example of the long-necked body plan.

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