Cryptoclidus
Cryptoclidus was a medium-sized plesiosaur that swam in warm seas during the Middle and Late Jurassic. It had a small head, a long neck, and four flippers. It probably ate soft animals like squid and small fish.1
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Fun facts
The name Cryptoclidus means 'hidden collarbone' because its collarbones are tiny and hidden in the shoulder area.1
Fossils of Cryptoclidus have been found in the Oxford Clay of Cambridgeshire, England, and in the Kimmeridge Clay of France.1
The type species was first called Plesiosaurus eurymerus, which means 'wide thigh bone', because scientists mistook a front flipper bone for a back leg bone.1
Cryptoclidus had a small, fragile skull and teeth that could not handle tough prey, so it ate only soft animals.1
Scientists think Cryptoclidus used its long, intermeshing teeth to strain small animals from the water or sift through mud.1
The size and shape of its nostrils suggest Cryptoclidus could smell chemicals in seawater, helping it find food.1
Complete skeletons of Cryptoclidus have been found, including some that are nearly entirely preserved, showing both adults and juveniles.1
Most asked questions about Cryptoclidus
?How big was Cryptoclidus?
About 4 metres long and weighed around 737 to 756 kilograms. That is about as long as a small car.1
?What did Cryptoclidus eat?
It ate small, soft animals like squid and small fish. Its fragile teeth could not handle tough prey.1
?Was Cryptoclidus a dinosaur?
No, it was a plesiosaur, which is a marine reptile that lived in the sea. It is not a dinosaur.1
?When did Cryptoclidus live?
It lived during the Middle and Late Jurassic Period, about 166 to 160 million years ago.1
?Where were Cryptoclidus fossils found?
Fossils have been found in England, France, Cuba, and Russia. Many come from the Oxford Clay in Cambridgeshire, England.12
?Could Cryptoclidus swim?
Yes, it was a good swimmer. It used its four flippers to move through warm Jurassic seas.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Cryptoclidus was a dinosaur.
Truth: Cryptoclidus was a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that lived in the sea, not a dinosaur.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Cryptoclidus
- Named by
- (Seeley 1892)2
- Group
- Plesiosaurs
- Family / clade
- Cryptoclididae2
- Classification
- Plesiosauria > Sauropterygia2
- Age of the rocks
- 165 to 143 million years (Callovian / Tithonian)2
- Rock formations
- Oxford Clay, Jagua, Kimmeridge Clay2
- Countries
- United Kingdom, Cuba, Argentina, France2
- Fossil records
- 17 in the Paleobiology Database2
- Also known as
- Apractocleidus (older names now counted as the same animal)2
- Discovery
- The first fossils were described in 1871 by John Phillips as Plesiosaurus eurymerus. Harry Govier Seeley renamed it Cryptoclidus in 1892.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure whether Cryptoclidus caught prey by swimming fast or by ambushing it, because its skeleton was not built for speed.1
Where the facts come from
- Cryptoclidus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Cryptoclidus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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