Futabasaurus

Futabasaurus has been estimated over in length, It can be distinguished from other elasmosaurids by the following characteristics: there is a long distance between the eye sockets and nostrils; the interclavicles and clavicles are fused, and the anterior edge is bent; the humerus is relatively long; and the femora are slim and show prominent muscle scars. ==Discovery and naming==

'' exhibited at the National Museum of Nature and Science Futabasaurus is the first elasmosaurid found in Japan. It was originally known as either "Wellesisaurus sudzuki" or "Futaba-ryu" before publication. The type specimen of Futabasaurus was found in the Irimazawa Member of the Tamayama Formation, in the Futaba Group of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The rocks in which it were found date to the Inoceramus amakusensis zone of the early Santonian. The fossils were found by Tadashi Suzuki, then a high school student. specifically Cretalamna. The genus Futabasaurus was named after the Futaba Group, in which it was discovered; the specific name is derived from the family name of its discoverer, Suzuki. ==Classification==

s and ammonites in the background) The following cladogram shows the placement of Futabasaurus within Elasmosauridae following an analysis by Rodrigo A. Otero, 2016: {{clade| style=font-size:85%; line-height:85%; ==In Popular Culture==

In the anime movie, Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur, Nobita finds a fossilized futabasaurus egg. Using Doraemon's tools, he makes the egg viable, hatches the egg, and raises it to adulthood before returning it to its time period. ==See also==