In Depth
Ophthalmothule is a genus of cryptoclidid plesiosaur known to have lived towards the end of the Jurassic, possibly early Cretaceous. Ophthalmothule is noted to have very large eye sockets, something which obviously suggests the presence of very large eyes. Large eyes would be able to trap more light, even at the lower murkier depths, which could suggest that Ophthalmothule was a plesiosaur that hunted in deep water, in depths where sunlight did not reach so well. The large eyes of Ophthalmothule were inspiration for the name which means ‘eye of the north’. The north (thule) part of the name is in reference to the location of Spitsbergen where the holotype individual was found.
Further Reading
- A new plesiosaurian from the Jurassic–Cretaceous transitional interval of the Slottsm�ya Member (Volgian), with insights into the cranial anatomy of cryptoclidids using computed tomography. - PeerJ. 8: e8652. - Aubrey Jane Roberts, Patrick S. Druckenmiller, Benoit Cordonnier, Lene L. Delsett & J�rn H. Hurum - 2020.
