Mauisaurus

Mauisaurus ("Māui lizard") is a genus of plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period around 77 million years ago in what is now New Zealand. It was the largest plesiosaur, and perhaps the largest marine reptile in New Zealand waters at the time. Numerous specimens have been attributed to this genus in the past, but a 2017 paper restricts "Mauisaurus" to the lectotype and declares it dubious.
Description.
At 68 cervical vertebrae, "Mauisaurus" is notable for having one of the longest necks (in terms of vertebra number) of any plesiosaur. "Mauisaurus" was fairly large, reaching over in length. Like other plesiosaurs, it had a long slender body, with numerous vertebrae, allowing flexible movement. On its underside, "Mauisaurus" had two sets of large flippers. These aided in swimming at high speeds, but may have also allowed the plesiosaur to venture onto shorelines for short amounts of time. "Mauisaurus" was a carnivore, with sharp jagged teeth that would have been used to grip fish or squid.
History of discovery.
"Mauisaurus" remains have all been found in New Zealand's South Island, near Canterbury. One "Mauisaurus" fossil was even found battling a mosasaur from the New Zealand region. "Mauisaurus gardneri" was described in 1877 based on cervical vertebrae and a humerus from the Gault Clay of Folkestone, but was later declared a "nomen vanum" in an overview of Cretaceous plesiosaurs published by Samuel Welles in 1962.
"Mauisaurus" gets its name from the New Zealand Māori mythological demigod, Māui. Māui is said to have pulled New Zealand up from the seabed using a fish hook, thus creating the country. Thus, "Mauisaurus" means "Māui lizard". "Mauisaurus" gets its scientific last name from its original finder, Julius von Haast, who found the first "Mauisaurus" fossil in 1870 around Gore Bay, New Zealand. The specimen was then first described in 1874.
Cultural references.
"Mauisaurus" is one of the few New Zealand prehistoric creatures, and so, has had much publicity in the country. On 1 October 1993, a set of stamps was released to the general public. Although it depicted many other dinosaurs and prehistoric life, "Mauisaurus" was featured hunting fish on the $1.20 stamp.