This side view of a fossil vertebra, approximately four inches (10 centimeters) shows the flat front and back surfaces that easily identify it as that of an elasmosaur. Mosasaur vertebrae, on the other hand, have a ball-like front surface and a cup-like back surface for articulation. This fossil was collected in the 1930s in Pickens County and donated to state geologist Winnie McGlammery at the Geologic Survey of Alabama.
