Cartorhynchus is an extinct genus and species of recognizably small ichthyosauriform that lived in China during the Early Triassic period around 248 million years ago. The genus contains the species C. lenticarpus. It was a close relative of its, somewhat, larger relative Sclerocormus.
Discovery and naming[]
In 2011, the only known specimen of Cartorhynchus was discovered in Bed 633 from the second level of the Majiashan Quarry near downtown Chaohu, Anhui Province, China;. In 2014, the specimen was described by Ryosuke Motani and colleagues in Nature as representing a new genus and species, Cartorhynchus lenticarpus.
Description[]
The animal measured about 40 centimetres long, Cartorhynchus was small animal with a lizard-like body and a short torso; it probably swam in an eel-like manner at slow speeds. Its limbs bore extensive cartilage and could bend like flippers, which may theoretically have allowed it to walk on land. The most distinctive features of Cartorhynchus were its short, constricted snout, and its multiple rows of molar-like teeth which grew on the inside surface of its jaw bones.
Other Wikis[]
References[]
- https://www.mindat.org/taxon-8613953.html
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/141105-ichthyosaurs-sea-monsters-dinosaurs-science-fossils
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8300251/250-million-year-old-marine-reptile-evolved-pebble-shaped-teeth-crush-prey.html
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64854-z
- http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/science-amphibious-ichthyosaur-cartorhynchus-lenticarpus-02257.html
- http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2016/05/cartorhynchus.html
Gallery[]
