Mixosaurus
Mixosaurus was an ancient marine reptile that swam in the seas about 250 to 240 million years ago. It had a long tail, a small fin on its back, and paddle-like limbs with five toes each. It was not a dinosaur, but an ichthyosaur, and it ate fish with its sharp teeth.1
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Fun facts
Mixosaurus is called 'Mixed Lizard' because it had features of both early eel-shaped ichthyosaurs and later dolphin-shaped ichthyosaurs.1
Its front limbs were longer than its back limbs, which is a trait of later ichthyosaurs.1
Mixosaurus had about 50 vertebrae in front of its hips, twice as many as land reptiles.1
The species Mixosaurus cornalianus is the only Triassic ichthyosaur known from completely articulated skeletons.1
Mixosaurus had a sagittal crest on its skull, which means it had very strong jaw muscles.1
Scientists think Mixosaurus lived near the shore because its bones were more spongy and compact than those of other ichthyosaurs.1
Most asked questions about Mixosaurus
?How big was Mixosaurus?
Mixosaurus was a small ichthyosaur, measuring about 73 to 100 cm (2.40 to 3.28 ft) long and weighing 2.2 to 5.7 kg (4.9 to 12.6 lb). The largest specimens could reach over 2 m (6.6 ft) in length.1
?What did Mixosaurus eat?
Mixosaurus ate fish. It had narrow jaws with several sharp teeth that were ideal for catching fish.1
?Could Mixosaurus swim fast?
Mixosaurus probably was not a very fast swimmer. It had a long tail with a low fin, which suggests it was slower than later Jurassic ichthyosaurs.1
?Where did Mixosaurus live?
Mixosaurus lived in the warm, shallow seas of the Middle Triassic, about 250 to 240 million years ago. Its fossils have been found near the Italy, Switzerland border and in South China.1
?Is Mixosaurus a dinosaur?
No, Mixosaurus is not a dinosaur. It is an ichthyosaur, which is a type of extinct marine reptile that lived in the sea.1
?Why is it called Mixosaurus?
The name Mixosaurus means 'Mixed Lizard'. It was chosen because Mixosaurus appears to be a transitional form between early eel-shaped ichthyosaurs and later dolphin-shaped ichthyosaurs.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Mixosaurus
- Named by
- Baur 18873
- Group
- Ichthyosaurs
- Family / clade
- Mixosauridae3
- Classification
- Ichthyosauria > Ichthyosauromorpha3
- Age of the rocks
- 247 to 237 million years ()3
- Rock formations
- Favret, Besano, Guanling3
- Countries
- Switzerland, USA, China, Germany, Italy3
- Fossil records
- 13 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Also known as
- Sangiorgiosaurus (older names now counted as the same animal)3
- Discovery
- Mixosaurus was named in 1887 by George H. Baur. He noticed its forefin was different from other ichthyosaurs, so he gave it a new genus name.1
- Still debated
- Scientists debate whether some species, like Mixosaurus panxianensis, belong in Mixosaurus or in their own genus Barracudasauroides.1
Where the facts come from
- Mixosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Mixosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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