Lariosaurus

La-ree-oh-sore-us.
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Cassidy Wood

Paleoentomologist

Cassidy Wood uncovers the tiny yet significant world of prehistoric insects. Her research on amber-preserved specimens has revealed intricate details about ancient ecosystems.

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Name

Lariosaurus ‭(‬Lario lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

La-ree-oh-sore-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Sauropsida,‭ ‬Nothosauria,‭ ‬Nothosauridae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

L.‭ ‬balsamii‭

Size

60‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Europe,‭ ‬China.

Time Period

Anisian to Ladinian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Several known specimens.

In Depth

       Although small by nothosaur standards,‭ ‬Lariosauru remains one of the most important nothosaurs known to palaeontology as remains are so well preserved they contain the presence of juvenile Lariosaurus,‭ ‬as well as what they ate.‭ ‬The juvenile specimens inside an adult Lariosaurus are very well preserved suggesting that they were not chewed or eaten,‭ ‬and that Lariosaurus were possibly not cannibalistic.‭ ‬As such if the popular theory of them being young waiting to be born is correct,‭ ‬then it proves that the marine reptiles had developed the ability to give birth to live young before they were completely restricted to aquatic life.‭ ‬This has long been suspected for later and larger marine reptiles like ichthyosaurs,‭ ‬plesiosaurs,‭ ‬and mosasaurs as terrestrial movement would have been impossible for these reptiles.

       While nothosaurs in general are thought to have eaten fish,‭ ‬Lariosaurus is confirmed to have eaten other marine reptiles,‭ ‬specifically placodonts as indicated by the remains of two Cyamodus juveniles inside one Lariosaurus skeleton.

       Lariosaurus also seems to be a marine reptile in transition to a more aquatic life.‭ ‬This is because while the rear legs were still suited to land movement,‭ ‬the front legs had evolved to form‭ ‬paddles.‭ ‬This would be a hindrance to movement on land,‭ ‬but a considerable bonus when swimming in the water.

Further Reading

– “Eupodosaurus longobardicus”. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 6 8:407 – G. A. Boulenger – 1891. – The status of the sauropterygian reptile genera Ceresiosaurus, Lariosaurus, and Silvestrosaurus from the Middle Triassic of Europe. – Fieldiana: Geology, new series 38:1-46. – O, Rieppel – 1998. – A new species of Lariosaurus (Sauropterygia: Nothosauridae) from Triassic of Guizhou, southwest China. – Vertebrata PalAsiatica 40(2):122-126. – J.-L. Li, J. Liu & O. Rieppel – 2002. – A new species of Lariosaurus (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) from the Middle Anisian (Middle Triassic) of southwestern China. – Neues Jahrbuch f�r Geologie und Pal�ontologie-Abhandlungen 242(1):19-42. D.-Y. Jiang, M. W. Maisch, Z.-Y. Sun, Y.-L. Sun & W.-C. Hao – 2006. – The earliest record of the genus Lariosaurus from the early middle Anisian (Middle Triassic) of the Germanic Basin. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36(4):e1163712 – N. Klein, D. F. A. Voeten, A. Haarhuis & R. Bleeker – 2016.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT