Name:
Utatsusaurus (Greek for "Utatsu lizard"); pronounced oo-TOT-soo-SORE-us
Habitat:
Shores of western North America and Asia
Historical Period:
Early Triassic (240-230 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 10 feet long; weight unknown
Diet:
Fish and marine organisms
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Short head with narrow snout; small flippers; no dorsal fin
About Utatsusaurus:
Utatsusaurus is what paleontologists call a "basal" ichthyosaur ("fish lizard"): the earliest of its kind yet discovered, it lacks later ichthyosaur features such as long flippers, a flexible tail, and a dorsal (back) fin. This aquatic reptile also has an unusually flat skull with small teeth, which, combined with its small flippers, implies that it didn't pose much of a threat to larger fish or marine organisms.
By the way, if the name Utatsusaurus sounds strange, that's because this ichthyosaur was named after the region in Japan where one of its fossils was unearthed.
