Baptanodon

Baptanodon is an ichthyosaur of the Late Jurassic period (160-156 million years ago), named for its supposed lack of teeth (although teeth of this genus have since been discovered). It had a graceful 3.5 m (11 ft) long dolphin-shaped body, and its jaws were well adapted for catching squid. Major fossil finds of this genus have been recorded in North America. The type species, Sauranodon natans, was originally included under Sauranodon in 1879, but this name was preoccupied.

Baptanodon
Temporal range: Late Jurassic,
Holotype skull of B. natans
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Ichthyosauria
Family: Ophthalmosauridae
Subfamily: Ophthalmosaurinae
Genus: Baptanodon
Marsh, 1880
Type species
Baptanodon natans
Marsh, 1880
Synonyms
  • Ophthalmosaurus natans Marsh, 1879
  • Sauranodon Marsh, 1879 (preoccupied)
  • Microdontosaurus Gilmore, 1902
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.