The first complete skeleton of a plesiosaur was first found in Lyme Regis, Dorset, in 1823 by Mary Anning, a fossil hunter. “It’s a bit controversial, but who’s to say that because we paleontologists have always called them ‘marine reptiles’, they had to live in the sea? Lots of marine lineages invaded freshwater.” The plesiosaur teeth appear to show heavy wear similar to that of the Spinosaurus, suggesting they were eating the same armoured fish that lived in the river, rather than being occasional visitors.ĭr Longrich, corresponding author on the paper, said: “We don’t really know why the plesiosaurs are in freshwater. They hint that these creatures routinely lived and fed in freshwater, alongside frogs, crocodiles, turtles, fish, and the huge aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus.ĭavid Martill, co-author of the paper, said: “What amazes me is that the ancient Moroccan river contained so many carnivores all living alongside each other. The fossils include bones and teeth from three-metre long adults and an arm bone from a 1.5 metre long baby. Now the university’s findings, published in the journal Cretaceous Research, suggest the plesiosaurs were adapted to tolerate freshwater, possibly even spending their lives their, like today’s river dolphins. However cynics have argued that plesiosaurs could not have lived in Loch Ness as they needed a salwater environment.

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