Scientific Name：Nothosaurus sp.

Category：Fossil

Year：Triassic Period (about 250 million years ago)

Size:Length:82.4 x Width:158 (cm)

Introduction：Nothosaurs were Triassic semi-oceanic reptiles. They averaged 3 meters in length, and the head was flattened and elongated, but comparatively small in relation to the rest of the body. The margins of their long jaws had many sharp outward-pointing teeth extended to the back of their jaws which indicates that their diet consisted of fish. The neck was quite long, as were the limbs, body and tail. The paddle-like feet with long and webbed toes, along with limbs and tail movements, were able to help them swim.

The nothosaurs could catch many different types of animals including ammonites, cephalopods, fish and small reptiles. They probably lived similarly to present-day seals, catching food in water then going ashore on beaches and rocks to rest. Nothosaurs first appeared during the Triassic period and thrived during the middle and the end of the Triassic. Most of the fossils have been found in Europe, the Middle East and China.

Accession Number:0011468