Askeptosaurus

Askeptosaurus Temporal range: Middle Triassic
Askeptosaurus italicus fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Thalattosauria
Family:	Askeptosauridae
Genus:	Askeptosaurus
Species
A. italicus Nopcsa, 1925 (type)

Askeptosaurus is an extinct genus of aquatic reptile related to the thalattosaurian group. Their remains have been found in Italy and Switzerland.

Restoration

Head

Askeptosaurus was a very thin, elongated creature, that probably swam like an eel. Its tail was very long, accounting for around half of the animal's total length of 2 metres (6.6 ft), and its webbed feet would have been well suited for steering itself through the water. Judging from its long jaws, it primarily ate fish.^[1]

Askeptosaurus probably hunted in deep waters, because it had large eyes suited to conditions of low light. Like ichthyosaurs, it also had a protective bony ring around the eyes, which would have prevented them from collapsing under the immense water pressure of great depths.^[1]

References

1. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 83. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

External links

• The anatomy of Askeptosaurus italicus from the Middle Triassic of Monte San Giorgio and the interrelationships of thalattosaurs (Reptilia, Diapsida)