Plesiosaur casts from Morocco     Copyright © 2008-2011 by Mike Everhart   Page created 05/22/2008 - Updated 09/05/2011

In early January, 2008, I had the opportunity to examine and photograph two casts of plesiosaurs in a private collection that supposedly came from the phosphates of Morocco. I don't have any other information regarding who made the casts, their identity, or the specimens that they may have been copied from. The photos below provide some detail of a elasmosaur specimen (about 7 m) and a polycotylid specimen (about 3 m). Unfortunately, they were set up in a very congested area and I could not get a full body picture of either specimen. I would appreciate any information as to the possible identity of both. I am, of course, concerned about any inaccuracies in the reconstructions.

These specimens and many others are currently on display in a traveling exhibit at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Hays, Kansas - "T.rex Cetera"

Elasmosaur

	LEFT: Left lateral view of the skull and anterior cervicals. There are 60 cervicals. The "short-face" on this elasmosaur should be distinctive. Lower jaw is 40 cm; skull is about 35 cm in length.  ANOTHER MORE RECENT VIEW
	LEFT: Left lateral view of skull.
	LEFT: Dorsal view of skull
	LEFT: Anterior cervical vertebrae and back of skull
	LEFT: Certainly one of the most unusual photographs that I have ever taken of a plesiosaur... looking anteriorly at the dorsal surface of the pectoral girdle from inside the chest cavity.
	LEFT: Right lateral view of anterior part of the body. Note that the "pectoral" ribs appear to have been reconstructed like sacrals... ??!?

LEFT: Left rear paddle. BELOW: Four vies of the pelvic girdle of this specimen.

Polycotylid

	LEFT: Re-constructed skull in right-oblique view. The lower jaw is 55 cm in length. ANOTHER, MORE RECENT VIEW
	LEFT: Skull in dorsal view
	LEFT: Right side view of the anterior cervical vertebrae and back of skull,
	LEFT: A complete series of 21 cervical vertebrae
	LEFT: Left side view of the body and left front paddle. Note the unusual appearance of the pectoral ribs.
	LEFT: Left rear paddle.