Pachypleurosaurus
| Pachypleurosaurus Temporal range: Triassic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pachypleurosaurus edwardsi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Superorder: | Sauropterygia |
| Order: | Nothosauroidea |
| Suborder: | Pachypleurosauria |
| Genus: | Pachypleurosaurus |
| Species | |
| |
Pachypleurosaurus (meaning 'thick rib lizard') is a genus of pachypleurosaurian that lived during the Triassic Period. It was a basal sauropterygian, and had a long neck. The type species is P. edwardsi.
This aquatic animal was a nothosaur, an early relative of the plesiosaurs and placodonts. In contrast to the highly modified paddles of plesiosaurs, pachypleurosaurs had hands and feet that were still very similar to those of land-dwelling tetrapods. It is likely that undulations of its backbone provided the main propulsive force for swimming. Like other nothosaurs, Pachypleurosaurus was a marine animal that probably lived on fish or small invertebrates.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||