In Depth Odoiporosaurus is a genus of pachypleurosaur that lived in Europe during the mid Triassic. Further Reading - A new pachypleurosaur from the Middle Triassic Besano Formation of Northern Italy.- Neues Jahrbuch f�r Geologie und Pal�ontologie - Abhandlungen 271 (2): 151. - S. Renesto, G. Binelli & H. Hagdorn - 2014.
In Depth Hispaniasaurus is a genus of possible nothosaur that lived in Spain during the mid Triassic. Further Reading - An enigmatic marine reptile, Hispaniasaurus cranioelongatus (gen. et sp. nov.) with nothosauroid affinities from the Ladinian of the Iberian Range (Spain). - Historical Biology 1-11. - A. Marquez-Aliaga, N. Klein, M. Reolid, P. Plasencia, J. … Read more
In Depth Usually seen as a nothosaur, Simosaurus was a marine reptile that lived in European waters during the Triassic. The teeth of Simosaurus are quite blunt and while the jaws of Simosaurus are quite gracile, the way the muscles attached show that they could be closed very quickly. It is possible that Simosaurus used … Read more
In Depth Nothosaurus is representative of one of the dominant groups of marine reptiles of the Triassic, the other main group being the primitive ichthyosaurs like Cymbospondylus. The nothosaurs are often dubbed the seals of the Triassic because while they were adapted for aquatic life, they still held onto to clear terrestrial adaptations. This would … Read more
In Depth The type genus of the Pachypleurosauria, Pachypleurosaurus would have been a relative of the more famous nothosaurs, yet still be distinct enough to not be classed as a nothosaurine. It should be remembered however that both nothosaurines and pachypleurosaurines are still both classified as nothosauroids due to their physical similarities. The name Pachypleurosaurus … Read more
In Depth Keichousaurus looks like a miniature plesiosaur, and indeed many have looked into the possibility that it may either be a direct ancestor, or representative of an ancestral form that led to the evolution of the giant plesiosaurs. As well as resembling the later plesiosaurs, Keichousaurus may have moved like them too, using their … Read more
In Depth Paludidraco is a genus of nothosaur known to have lived in Western European waters of the late Triasssic period. Paludidraco is thought to have been similar to the Simosaurus genus, yet while Simosaurus is thought to have been an active predator, the markedly different dentition of Paludidraco suggest a different lifestyle. The jaws … Read more
In Depth Dactylosaurus was one of the smallest known pachypleurosaurs, a group of marine reptiles with close associations to the nothosaurs, though opinions differ on if they should belong within the Nothosauroidea or be separate to them. Dactylosaurus may have been fed upon by other marine reptiles and large fish such as primitive sharks like … Read more