Paludidraco multidentatus de Miguel Chaves et al., 2018
Systematics: Sauria Sauropterygia Nothosauroidea Simosauridae
Size: 2.5 m long
Type Horizon and Locality: Late Triassic, Keuper (Carnian-Norian boundary) Guadalajara, Spain
Type Specimen : MUPA-ATZ0101, skull and partial postcranial skeleton
Paludidraco ("marsh dragon") was a rather odd nothosaur with a slender and fragile jaw equipped with many small teeth arranged in a comb-like structure. The ribs were very thick, similarly to modern sea cows, providing neutral buoyancy to the body. It was probably a filter-feeder.
February 6, 2022
References:
de Miguel Chaves, C., Ortega, F., & Pérez-García, A. (2018). New highly pachyostotic nothosauroid interpreted as a filter-feeding Triassic marine reptile. Biology letters, 14(8), 20180130.
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