Dino card No. 0410 of 2,027

Chonespondylus

Say it: kon-es-PON-dih-lus

Name means: “cupped vertebrae”1

Ate: MeatIchthyosaursEarly Triassic to Middle TriassicNot technically a dinosaur

Chonespondylus was a big, swimming reptile that lived in the ocean during the Triassic Period. It was not a dinosaur, but a kind of ichthyosaur, with flippers and a fish-like tail. It hunted fish and other sea creatures.4

Fun fact: this sea reptile swam while dinosaurs walked on land. Everyone calls them dinos, but they were a different branch of reptiles.

Lived

251 to 237 million years ago4

Early Triassic to Middle Triassic

Fossils found in

Nevada, USA2

Food

Meat4

Length

4 to 5 m1

for the smallest species, but some relatives were much larger

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 5 dogs nose to tailas long as 28 bananas end to end

How big was Chonespondylus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Chonespondylus is now considered the same as Cymbospondylus, so the name is not used anymore.1

It lived about 250 to 237 million years ago, during the Triassic Period.4

Its fossils were found in rocks that were once the bottom of a warm, shallow sea.2

Chonespondylus had a long, slender body and a tail fin, like a fish, but it was a reptile that breathed air.1

It was a fast swimmer and probably chased after schools of fish.4

AI-made picture of Chonespondylus — An AI-made picture of how Chonespondylus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Chonespondylus

?How big was Chonespondylus?

It varied by species. The smallest was about 4 to 5 metres (13 to 16 ft) long, and the largest known species, C. youngorum, was over 17 metres (56 ft) long.3

?What did Chonespondylus eat?

It ate fish and cephalopods like squid. Larger species may have also eaten other marine reptiles.3

?When did Chonespondylus live?

It lived during the Lower to Middle Triassic Period, about 250 to 237 million years ago.3

?Where were Chonespondylus fossils found?

Fossils have been found in Nevada and Switzerland, with some specimens also from Idaho, the Alps, and Spitsbergen in Norway.3

?Could Chonespondylus swim fast?

It was likely a fast swimmer. Its long, flexible body and powerful tail helped it burst forward to ambush prey.3

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Chonespondylus was a dinosaur.

Truth: It was actually an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the ocean, not a dinosaur.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Chonespondylus
Named by: Leidy 18684
Group: Ichthyosaurs
Family / clade: Cymbospondylidae4
Classification: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha4
Age of the rocks: 251 to 237 million years ()4
Countries: USA4
Fossil records: 17 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Chonespondylus was named by Joseph Leidy in 1868 from fossils found in Nevada, USA.4
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Chonespondylus is a separate genus or just a younger name for Cymbospondylus.1

Where the facts come from

Cymbospondylus (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Cymbospondylus (en.wikipedia.org)
Chonespondylus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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