Pterosaur, Icthyosaur, Plesiosaur and Mosasaur speeds

[Majin Gojira]

Does anyone have any information on the average/top/general speeds for these organisms. I recall seeing some programs regarding the deduction of Icthyosaurs based on hydrodynamics and garnering results roughly equivelent to modern Tuna (40-45mph in some instances). Have similar tests been done for Pterrosaurs or for other aquatic saurians.

I was going over some dinosaur track data when the question hit me.

[Majin Gojira]

Ghetto Edit: The Icthyosaur speed article can be found here.

And I was a little of on the speed range, 1.3 to 1.6m per second (this covers the small and average sized ones 1.4 to 2.6m in length)...which roughly equates to porposies and whales of similar size--though a little slower.

[Elfdart]

I would think that since the plesiosaurs are built like giant penguins and probably swam like them (with four large flippers instead of two large, two small), they would be comparable -with the disproportionately large flippers making up for the extra mass. This would make sense because they filled the same evolutionary positions.

[Molyneux]

I would think that since the plesiosaurs are built like giant penguins and probably swam like them (with four large flippers instead of two large, two small), they would be comparable -with the disproportionately large flippers making up for the extra mass. This would make sense because they filled the same evolutionary positions.

I have to wonder how the heck they managed to avoid neck injuries for the longer-necked varieties of plesiosaur, though. Wouldn't that be difficult without some kind of stiff bracing to the neck?

[Alyrium Denryle]

I would think that since the plesiosaurs are built like giant penguins and probably swam like them (with four large flippers instead of two large, two small), they would be comparable -with the disproportionately large flippers making up for the extra mass. This would make sense because they filled the same evolutionary positions.

No they... didnt... Plesiosaurs IIRC were slow moving, and hunted by preying on bait balls, pivoting with their laaarge otherwise ungainly flippers. This is at least Elasmosaurus. Smaller ones like cryptoclidus (sp) were more like large seals.

[Elfdart]

I was thinking of animals like peloneustes:

Link

[Molyneux]

I was thinking of animals like peloneustes:

Link

I think that the short-necked species are generally referred to as "pliosaurs", rather than plesiosaurs, though they're all technically members of the order Plesiosauria.