Atopodentatus unicus ("strange toothed") is an aquatic reptile from the Middle Triassic around 247-242 million years ago. It has a shocking appearance because of his mouth. It was originally believed to have a mouth that went straight down its head, but recent fossils have revealed that the mouth actually went horizontally, like a vacuum cleaner. It is believed to have fed by sucking vegetation from the sea floor, just like Henodus.
Description[]
Atopodentatus is 3 meters (9.8 feet) long.
Discovery and naming[]
The genus name Atopodentatus is derived from the Ancient Greek atopos, meaning "unusual", combined with Latin dentatus, "toothed", referring to the unusual arrangement and shape of the teeth.
Paleoecology[]
Gallery[]
An outdated reconstruction of the jaws of Atopodentatus.
