File:Cope Elasmosaurus.jpg

Summary
Anterior portion of the "head-on-the-wrong-end" version of Elasmosaurus platyurus published initially by Cope (1869, Pl. II, Fig. 1). The ten dorsal vertebrae shown in black approximate those noted by Cope to be missing from the type specimen. Note that Cope did not include the hind paddles in this figure in part due to his erroneous belief that Elasmosaurus was propelled by its extremely long “tail”.