The Seas of the Mesozoic.The Seas of the Mesozoic.
The Triassic Sea
from the Dinosaur Collector
Ichthyosaurs
Ichthyosaurs are the most specialized of the marine reptiles. They evolve in the Early Triassic and begin to decline and then disappear in the Mid Cretaceous. The early ichthyosaurs costal dwellers with ell like bodies. Later Ichthyosaurs developed convergent features with modern dolphins, Great White sharks, and tuna. The stream lined shape supports a fast active animal that is plegaic, living in the open seas and developed large eyes that would have allowed them to hunt in the dark depths. Soft bodied squid and fish would have been the main prey although the larger would have also been able to prey on other reptiles. The Shastosaurs were great whale sized animals they die before the end of the Trisassic. The more advanced, "dolphin"-like Euichthyosauria surivie and diversify in the early Jurassic. In the Midde Jurassic the Ophthalmosauria are the only family to survive but diversify and are found world wide. The ichthyosaurs dissapear abruptly from the fossil record in the early part of the Late Cretacous. This is refered to as the Cenomanian-Turonian extinction event.
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Mixosaurus (3 feet long) lived in the Middle Triassic. It is intermediate in features between the early forms of ichthyosaurs and the more advanced types.
Mixosaurus from PlayVision ancient aquatic reptiles series.
Shonisaurus popularis 49 feet long lived in the Late Triassic and is still the largest ichthyosaur known from the United States.. The Shastosaurs were a off shoot of the main line of ichthyosaurs. The largest known is a recent find in Canada.
Shonisaurus from PlayVision ancient aquatic reptiles series.
Shonisaurus fossils from the Berlin Nevada are the best known and seem to represent the remains of a school of 36 animals. The Site Aecame the Berlin-Ichthyosaur Park in 1970. Shonisaurusmay not have been as deep bodied as reconstructed.
Shonisaurus from the Schleich Replica Saurus series. Belemnite from the Bullyland Fossil collection.
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