Temnodontosaurus

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Temnodontosaurus
Temporal range: Early Jurassic
Mounted fossil of Temnodontosaurus trigonodon, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: †Ichthyosauria
Family: †Temnodontosauridae
Genus: †Temnodontosaurus
Lydekker, 1889
Species
  • T. platyodon type species
  • T. eurycephalus
  • T. nuertingensis
  • T. trigonodon
  • T. acutirostris
  • T. azerguensis Martin et al., 2012

Temnodontosaurus is an extinct genus of ichthyosaurs from the Early Jurassic, ranging between 198 and 185 million years ago (Hettangian - Toarcian), and known from Europe (England and Germany). Species of Temnodontosaurus were large, exceeding 12 meters (40 ft) in length.[1]

Classification

Restoration of T. platyodon
Temnodontosaurus with a human for scale

It is the only genus in the family Temnodontosauridae.[2] T. risor was found to be a juvenile of T. platyodon.[3]

Palaeobiology

Temnodontosaurus eyes were approximately 20 cm (8 in) in diameter making them some of the largest of any known vertebrate. Despite the impressive size of their eyes, temnodontosaurus had blind spots directly above their head due to the angle at which their eyes were pointed. They were powerful swimmers with great stamina and could descend into the deepest areas in the Jurassic sea to catch their prey.

References

  1. ↑ Maisch MW, Matzke AT. 2000. The Ichthyosauria. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie) 298: 1-159
  2. ↑ HIERARCHICAL TAXONOMY OF THE CLASS EODIAPSIDA. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
  3. ↑ McGowan, C. (1995). "Temnodontosaurus risor is a Juvenile of T. platyodon (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14 (4): 472–479. JSTOR 4523589. 
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