Nothosaurus

Nothosaurus is an extinct genus of aquatic sauropterygian reptiles from the Triassic Period. Its long body, elongated jaws, and paddle-like limbs suited it to life in coastal waters.

Sauropterygia: A major group of extinct aquatic reptiles that lived from the Permian through the Cretaceous. Nothosaurus belongs to this diverse group of marine reptiles.
Paddle: A flattened limb or appendage used to propel or steer an animal through water. Nothosaurus's limbs were adapted as paddles for swimming.
Nothosaurus mirabilis: A species of Nothosaurus known from Triassic fossil deposits in Europe. It is among the best-known species used to characterize the genus.
Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer: A German paleontologist who described numerous fossil vertebrates in the nineteenth century. Von Meyer established the genus Nothosaurus in the nineteenth century.
Nothosauria: A group of mostly semi-aquatic sauropterygians common during the Triassic. This group includes Nothosaurus and its close relatives.
Hydrodynamic body: A body shape that reduces resistance while moving through water. Its elongated, streamlined body helped it move through coastal waters.
Nothosaurus giganteus: A large species of Nothosaurus known from the Triassic of Europe. Its remains show that the genus included substantially larger forms.
Fossil: Preserved remains or traces of organisms from the geological past. Fossils are the direct evidence on which Nothosaurus's anatomy and history are based.
Pachypleurosauria: A group of small-bodied, predominantly aquatic sauropterygians from the Triassic. These generally smaller relatives differed from Nothosaurus in body size and proportions.
Predation: An interaction in which one organism captures and consumes another. Nothosaurus's jaws and teeth suited it to catching aquatic prey.

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PlesiosaurRelated: Nothosaurs provide context for the earlier sauropterygian diversity preceding plesiosaurs.