A sea monster with its head on its butt? 10 times we were completely wrong about dinosaur-age creatures

Dryptosaurus (formerly Lealaps) confronting Elasmosaurus orientalis, with Mosasaurus and Osteopygis behind. Hadrosaurus forages in background, and Thoracosaurus crawls up on the banks. .

Scientists and artists have been reconstructing the appearance of dinosaurs and other ancient creatures for centuries. But they've often gotten it wrong.

Whether they were hampered by a lack of bones, limited by the knowledge and research techniques of their day, or simply made a blunder, there have been some striking misinterpretations of the fossil record.