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About Nothosaurus:
With its webbed front and back feet, flexible knees and ankles, and long neck and tapered body--not to mention its numerous teeth--Nothosaurus must have been a formidable predator.
Because it bears some resemblance to modern seals, paleontologists speculate that Nothosaurus may have spent some of its time on land. It's clear that this aquatic reptile breathed air, as evidenced by the two nostrils on the top end of its snout, and although it was undoubtedly a sleek swimmer, it wasn't as well adapted to a full-time aquatic lifestyle as ichthyosaurs like Opthalmosaurus.
Whatever the case, it's clear that Nothosaurus was unusually well adapted to its environment, since this genus thrived in the oceans of the Triassic period for tens of millions of years.
