Teleosaurus

Teleosaurus
Temporal range: 171–164Ma

Bajocian - Bathonian

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
(unranked): Mesoeucrocodylia
Suborder: Thalattosuchia
Family: Teleosauridae
Genus: Teleosaurus
Geoffroy, 1825
Species
  • T. cadomensis (type)
  • T. geoffroyi

Teleosaurus was an extinct genus of teleosaurid crocodyliform that lived during the Middle Jurassic. It was approximately 3 metres (10 ft) in length.

Teleosaurus fossil at the Geological Museum in Copenhagen
Illustration of Teleosaurus, 1894.

Teleosaurus had highly elongate jaws, similar to those of a modern gharial. It had a long, slender, body, with a sinuous tail that would have helped propel it through the water. Its forelimbs were remarkably short, and would probably have been held close to the body when swimming to improve the animal's streamlining. Unlike modern crocodilians, it lived in the open ocean, and it probably caught fish and squid with its sharp, needle-like teeth.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 99. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.