Nothosaurus Facts

The Nothosaurus was a dinosaur that lived in the water during the Triassic Period. Nothosaurus means “false lizard.” It was approximately 10 feet in length and on averaged weighted between 150 and 200 pounds. The Nothosaurus had a long tapered body and at the send was a narrow head that contained sharp teeth.  The fossils were found all over the world.  The Nothosaurus also are known to be the earliest sea-living reptilian hunters of the waters. There have been many full fossil structures found; one rare species can be seen in the National History Museum in Berlin.

The Nothosaurs was able to defend itself with its sharp teeth and the ability to swim away from land predators. As this dinosaur evolved, it became even larger and more dangerous.

The fossil records of the Nothosaurus are vital to scientists. They were able to study this marine reptile and learn that there were over a dozen species of this dinosaur. The fossils have been discovered all over the world. They were found in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

What did they eat?

It is said that the Nothosaurus lived in shallow warm rivers and seas, so scientist believes they would eat fish, crabs, other crustaceans, and possibly eggs.

Did Nothosaurus live in water?

This dinosaur was one of the first that was able to live in the sea and still come out on land.

Physical Features/Characteristics of Nothosaurus

They had very long necks, webbed paddle feet, long sharp teeth, and were about 10 feet in length. These were mammal-like dinosaurs. The Nothosaurus was able to breathe air; it had two nostrils that were found on the top of its face, kind of like the present-day alligator or crocodile. The body was designed for life in the water. The Nothosaurus had front and back feet as well as bendable knees.

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Marine prehistoric animals

Some of the great forgotten in the world of prehistoric animals are marine animals. Below we present some of the already extinct species that crossed the oceans thousands of years ago, most of them large and with surprising physiognomies.

We find the Predator, a spectacular predator of enormous size that even reached 15 meters long in an adult state and could reach a weight of up to 45 tons. This animal also had huge teeth, like other known species that include Liopleurodon, and can measure up to 30 centimeters long.

Nothosaurus Facts

The sea scorpion, also known as Eurypterida, an animal similar to contemporary scorpions, which did not have poison but whose size was impressive, was able to reach some of its subspecies at 2.5 meters long and 200 kilos This animal used to hunt huge claws 50 centimeters in length. With them, he could hold prey and eat them without problems. Up to 300 subspecies of this animal are known, all amphibious.

And finally, the great prehistoric shark, the so-called Megalodon, was a huge shark, which reached up to 20 meters long and weighed more than 100 tons. In addition, he was an excellent hunter because he had teeth of 18 centimeters with what for many scholars of these animals was undoubtedly the largest prehistoric animal of the entire Cenozoic era.



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