Dino card No. 1757 of 2,015

Temnodontosaurus

Say it: tem-noh-don-TOH-sore-us

Name means: “cutting-tooth lizard”1

Ate: MeatIchthyosaursEarly JurassicNot technically a dinosaur

Temnodontosaurus was a giant marine reptile that swam in the Jurassic seas. It was one of the biggest ichthyosaurs, with huge eyes and sharp teeth. It hunted fish, squid, and even other ichthyosaurs.1

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

Lived

201 to 175 million years ago3

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

England, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and possibly Switzerland and Italy1 3

Food

Meat1

Length

9 m1

generally estimated at 9 m, but some specimens may have been larger

Artist's life restoration of Temnodontosaurus — How Temnodontosaurus may have looked, by Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com). CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Scientists still argue about colours and details.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

Temnodontosaurus had the largest eyes of any known animal, measuring over 25 cm (9.8 in) across, as big as a dinner plate.1

One fossil of Temnodontosaurus trigonodon had the remains of three baby Stenopterygius ichthyosaurs in its stomach, along with many squid hooks.1

The first Temnodontosaurus fossil was found by famous fossil hunter Mary Anning in Dorset, England, around 1810.1

Temnodontosaurus lived during the Early Jurassic, from about 201 to 176 million years ago.3

It was a fast swimmer with flippers and a tail fin, and may have been an ambush predator.1

Some scientists think Temnodontosaurus might not be a single natural group, because different species may not be closely related.2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Temnodontosaurus
Named by: Lydekker 18893
Group: Ichthyosaurs
Family / clade: Neoichthyosauria3
Classification: Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha3
Age of the rocks: 201 to 175 million years (Hettangian to Toarcian)3
Rock formations: Alum Shale, Charmouth Mudstone, Luxembourg Sandstone3
Countries: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium3
Fossil records: 16 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The first Temnodontosaurus fossil was a skull and partial skeleton found by Joseph and Mary Anning in Dorset, England, around 1810. It was described by Sir Everard Home between 1814 and 1819, making it the first ichthyosaur ever scientifically described. The genus was named by Richard Lydekker in 1889.1
Still debated: Scientists are still debating whether Temnodontosaurus is a natural group, because different species might not be closely related to each other.2

Where the facts come from

Temnodontosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of Temnodontosaurus zetlandicus (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) | Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | Oxford Academic (academic.oup.com)
Temnodontosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@dinowiki.app and we will fix it.