Nothosaur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids NothosaursTemporal range: Triassic
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Nothosauroidea
Baur, 1889
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Nothosaurs were ancient reptiles that lived a very long time ago, during the Triassic period. They were not dinosaurs, but they were amazing creatures that spent most of their lives in the water, even though they breathed air! Imagine a reptile with a long neck, a long tail, and a head full of sharp teeth – that was a Nothosaur!
Contents
Discovering Nothosaurs
What Were Nothosaurs?
Nothosaurs were a group of reptiles called Sauropterygians. This big word just means "lizard flippers," which describes how they moved in the water. They were expert swimmers and hunted fish. These reptiles came in different sizes, from just a few inches long to as big as 20 feet (about 6 meters)! That's like a small bus!
Life in the Triassic Seas
Nothosaurs lived during the Triassic period, which was about 252 to 201 million years ago. They swam in the shallow seas that covered parts of the Earth back then. Even though they lived in water, they had to come to the surface to breathe air, just like modern-day sea turtles or seals.
What Nothosaurs Looked Like
Nothosaurs had a unique appearance that helped them survive in the water.
- Head and Teeth: They had a long, thin head with many sharp teeth. The teeth at the front of their mouth were longer than the ones at the back. This was perfect for catching slippery fish! Their nostrils were located on the top end of their snout, which probably helped them breathe easily while swimming.
- Body Shape: They had a long neck and a long tail, which likely helped them steer and propel themselves through the water. Their bodies were streamlined, meaning they were shaped to move easily through water.
From Nothosaurs to Plesiosaurs?
Scientists believe that Nothosaurs might have been the ancestors of another famous group of marine reptiles called plesiosaurs. Plesiosaurs were also long-necked, aquatic reptiles, but they lived even later in the Mesozoic Era. Studying Nothosaurs helps us understand how life evolved in the ancient oceans.
Images for kids
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Lariosaurus.
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Keichousaurus.
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Ceresiosaurus.
