Libonectes
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| Libonectes Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
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| Libonectes morgani from the Late Cretaceous of Texas | |
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| Genus: | Libonectes
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Libonectes is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile belonging to the plesiosaur order.
The 7-14 m (23-47 ft) long creature was very similar to the related Elasmosaurus. It had a compact body with a short tail and large flippers. Its small skull had long, forward-facing teeth ideal for catching slippery fish and squid that came together outside of its mouth when the mouth was closed, and was placed atop a very long neck.
Libonectes had four strong, muscular flippers for swimming quickly through water as it kept its body stable by swallowing rocks. Plesiosaurs were once believed to have been able to raise their neck and head high above the surface of the water. However, the base of the neck has been found to have been too stiff for their necks to be used in this manner. As such, the neck could only moves slightly laterally (side to side) and up-down.[citation needed]
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