Eurhinosaurus

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Eurhinosaurus
Fossil range: Early Jurassic
life restoration of Eurhinosaurus, notice the elongated upper jaw
life restoration of Eurhinosaurus, notice the elongated upper jaw
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Ichthyosauria
Family: Leptopterygiidae
Genus: Eurhinosaurus

Eurhinosaurus ('well-nosed lizard') is an extinct genus of diapsid reptile belonging to the ichthyosaur order. It was about 2 m (6 ft 8 in) long.

Eurhinosaurus looked like a regular ichthyosaur, with a fish-like body including a dorsal and caudal fin, and large eyes, but had one distinct feature that set it apart from other ichthyosaurs.

Eurhinosaurus with a human to scale.
Eurhinosaurus with a human to scale.

Its upper jaw was twice as long as the lower jaw and covered with sidewards-pointing 'teeth', like the sawfish's. It might have been used to search vegetation and crustaceans on the ocean bottom for prey (mainly by "swishing" it's upper jaw against the sea floor) like a sawfish, or to violently stab prey to death like swordfish, sailfish and marlins do. Interestingly, a Miocene cetacean, Eurhinodelphis, also developed a similar 'sword'.