Review of the Papo Plesiosaurus Model - A Scale Model of a Marine Reptile

It was with great delight that we learned some two years ago that Papo of France was going to release a model of a Plesiosaur as part of its Dinosaur scale model collection. Not being ones to quibble, we did point out that their model range, simply entitled Dinosaurs, or as the French refer to it as "Dinosaures" was a bit of a misnomer. Of the sixteen scale models in this beautifully made set, only ten represent dinosaurs.

However, we were delighted when the Plesiosaurus model was released, it really is a delight and it has already attracted a number of favourable comments from palaeontologists and serious model collectors.

Plesiosaurus was not a Dinosaur

Plesiosaurus is the only genus in the Plesiosauridae family. It is not a member of the Dinosauria, it is not a dinosaur but a marine reptile. Many fossils of these long-necked, sea monsters have been found in the cliffs of southern England and in Germany. Perhaps most famously of all in the fossil rich beds of Dorset around the small coastal town of Lyme Regis. Although these animals have been known to science for nearly 200 years and they have been extensively studied, many fossil specimens assigned to the Plesiosaurus genus have been reclassified and currently only three species are formerly recognised. It was William Conybeare, the eminent early English geologist, who first used the term Plesiosaurus in 1821. He named and described the holotype specimen in 1824. In science, the holotype is the specimen upon which the original description of the organism is based. It was thanks to Mary Anning, the famous fossil collector from Lyme Regis, that this occurred as she uncovered an almost complete Plesiosaurus skeleton in the cliffs surrounding the town.

The name Plesiosaurus means "near lizard", reflecting the scientific thinking of the 1820s that the Plesiosaurs were more closely related to lizards than the recently discovered Ichthyosaurs (fish lizards).

The Papo Plesiosaurus Model

The newly introduced Papo Plesiosaurus is a refreshing change from other marine reptiles on the market. Most manufacturers such as Schleich, Carnegie and Bullyland of Germany focus on Elasmosaurus, a Late Cretaceous marine reptile with a very long neck. However, the Papo Plesiosaurus is based on the Jurassic Plesiosaur - Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus and it is a very well made model too.

Measuring a little over 25cm, this model is painted a dark grey on top, with a light underside, reflecting the colouration of many shark species seen today. The tail is quite broad, perhaps to help this animal swim or steer using its tail like a rudder. The eye is accurately positioned towards the rear and top of the skull and the teeth are depicted in the closed mouth in an interlocking fashion - just what would be required to catch fast moving slippery fish. The body is broad and quite deep and the paddles are flat and look powerful, giving the impression of a strong swimmer. The neck is positioned in a typical "swan-like" posture. This is quite controversial as many palaeontologists now doubt whether Plesiosaurs could bend their necks to any great degree.

With the release of Papo's new Plesiosaurus figure, all four of the new 2010 models are now available and this Plesiosaurus stays true to their commitment to excellence with this beautifully detailed figure.

Plesiosaurus in the Media

In movies and books, the likes of Plesiosaurus is often depicted as a huge sea serpent-like animal. However, Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus was little more than the length of the car, at approximately 3 metres long. An adult animal would have weighed approximately 200 kilogrammes, about as heavy as a Jersey cow. Scientists believe these animals fed on small fish and squid. It is not known whether Plesiosaurus went ashore to lay eggs like turtles do or whether they gave birth to live young like the Ichthyosaurs. Although, often seen in movies which feature the likes of Tyrannosaurus rex these marine reptiles, flourished in the shallow, warm tropical seas of what was to become Europe over 100 million years before T. rex existed.

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