Chaohusaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ChaohusaurusTemporal range: Lower Triassic ~248 mya
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Animalia
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Chaohusaurus
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Chaohusaurus is an extinct group of early `ichthyosaurs`. These were ancient marine reptiles that lived in the oceans. Chaohusaurus lived during the Lower Triassic period, about 248 million years ago. Its fossils have been found in Chaohu and Yuanan, China.
This amazing creature was one of the first ichthyosaurs. It looked different from later, more well-known ichthyosaurs like Ichthyosaurus. For example, Chaohusaurus did not have a dolphin-like body shape. It also had a longer neck and no dorsal fin (the fin on its back). Even without these features, it was fully adapted to living in the water. Its tail fin was wide but short.
Chaohusaurus was quite small compared to other ichthyosaurs. It grew to be about 70 to 180 centimeters (about 2.3 to 5.9 feet) long. It weighed around 10 kilograms (about 22 pounds).
How Chaohusaurus Had Babies
Scientists have made an exciting discovery about Chaohusaurus: it gave birth to live babies! This is a very early example of live birth in a marine reptile. What's even more surprising is how the babies were positioned. One baby was found very close to being born, and it was coming out head-first.
This is different from how many marine animals, like whales and sea cows, give birth today. They usually give birth tail-first. Giving birth tail-first helps prevent the baby from drowning during birth.
Scientists believe that the head-first birth in Chaohusaurus tells us something important. It suggests that live birth first evolved when these animals were still living on land. Later, as they became more adapted to life in the water, they changed to giving birth tail-first. This means that ichthyosaurs were already giving live birth before they fully moved into the oceans.
Images for kids
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C. geishanensis restoration
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Specimen AGM CH-628-22
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C. geishanensis with a human to scale.
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Skeletal restoration of adult (A) and juvenile (B)
See also
In Spanish: Chaohusaurus para niños
