Simosaurus
Sign in to saveSimosaurus is an extinct genus of marine reptile within the superorder Sauropterygia from the Middle Triassic of central Europe. Fossils have been found in deposits in France and Germany that are roughly 230 million years old. It is usually classified as a nothosaur, but has also been considered a pachypleurosaur or a more primitive sauropterygian.
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Simosaurus gaillardoti 1.JPG
Show 4 more facts
- taxon name
- Simosaurus
- start time
- 240000000-
- end time
- 230000000-
- Commons category
- Simosaurus
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Description
- History
- Paleobiology
- Movement
- Feeding
- References
Simosaurus is an extinct genus of marine reptile within the superorder Sauropterygia from the Middle Triassic of central Europe. Fossils have been found in deposits in France and Germany that are roughly 230 million years old. It is usually classified as a nothosaur, but has also been considered a pachypleurosaur or a more primitive sauropterygian.
==Description== thumb|left|Skeleton Simosaurus grew from in length. It has a blunt, flattened head and large openings behind its eyes called upper temporal fossae. These fossae are larger than the eye sockets but not as big as those of other nothosaurs. Simosaurus also differs from other nothosaurs in that it has blunt teeth that were probably used for crushing hard-shelled organisms. The jaw joint is set far back, projecting beyond the main portion of the skull.