An extinct family of marine reptiles related to plesiosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous period.
From scientific Latin, derived from Greek 'chersonesos' (land/peninsula) plus '-idae' (taxonomic family suffix). The name likely refers to these creatures' connection to coastal or land-adjacent marine environments.
Chersydridae were sophisticated marine predators that dominated oceans 100+ million years ago, and their fossil evidence helps scientists understand how marine ecosystems changed before the dinosaur extinction event.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.