What did Sauropterygia eat?

fish
These long-necked forms undoubtedly fed on fish, which they probably snared in their tooth-lined jaws with rapid lunges of the neck and head.

Are Sauropterygia dinosaurs?

Sauropterygia (“lizard flippers”), are very successful aquatic reptiles that flourished during the Age of the Dinosaurs before they became extinct. The infraclass includes the nothosaurs, plesiosaurs, and placodonts. Some later sauropterygians like the pliosaurs developed a similar mechanism in their pelvis.

Are turtles Sauropterygia?

Analysis of fossil data has shown that turtles are diapsid reptiles, most closely related either to the archosaurs (crocodiles, bird, and relatives) or the lepidosaurs (lizards, tuatara, and relatives).

What are the 4 groups of marine reptiles?

The four major groups are Sauropterygia, Ichthyopterygia, Mosasauridae, and Chelonioidea (sea turtles).

Are any reptiles fully aquatic?

Currently, of the approximately 12,000 extant reptile species and subspecies, only about 100 are classed as marine reptiles: extant marine reptiles include marine iguanas, sea snakes, sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles. Some marine reptiles also occasionally rest and bask on land.

What marine reptiles are still alive today?

Currently, of the approximately 12,000 extant reptile species and subspecies, only about 100 are classed as marine reptiles: extant marine reptiles include marine iguanas, sea snakes, sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles.

What reptile lives underwater?

More than 99% of lizards are wholly terrestrial, many being primarily arboreal, and only a few species have aquatic tendencies. Most turtles are partially or totally aquatic, living in fresh waters or brackish waters, while all crocodilians can be found in inland waters although some venture into marine habitats.

Which marine reptiles are poisonous?

Sea snakes, or coral reef snakes, are a subfamily of elapid snakes, the Hydrophiinae, that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives. Most are venomous, except the genus Emydocephalus, which feeds almost exclusively on fish eggs.

Are ichthyosaurs still alive?

Ichthyosaurs (Greek for “fish lizard” – ιχθυς or ichthys meaning “fish” and σαυρος or sauros meaning “lizard”) are large extinct marine reptiles. Later that century, many excellently preserved ichthyosaur fossils were discovered in Germany, including soft-tissue remains.

Are dinosaurs Amniotes?

AMNIOTES (REPTILES, DINOSAURS, BIRDS, MAMMALS)

Why are there no marine reptiles?

Scientists on Tuesday attributed their extinction 94 million years ago to the combination of global warming and their own failure to evolve swiftly enough.

When did the Sauropterygia lizard flippers become extinct?

Sauropterygia (“lizard flippers”) is an extinct, diverse taxon of aquatic reptiles that developed from terrestrial ancestors soon after the end-Permian extinction and flourished during the Triassic before all except for the Plesiosauria became extinct at the end of that era. The plesiosaurs would continue to diversify till the end of the Mesozoic.

What kind of reptiles lived during the dinosaur age?

Sauropterygia (“lizard flippers”), are very successful aquatic reptiles that flourished during the Age of the Dinosaurs before they became extinct. The infraclass includes the nothosaurs, plesiosaurs, and placodonts.

How is a sauropterygian related to a turtle?

Sauropterygians are diapsids, and since the late 1990s, scientists have suggested that they may be closely related to turtles. The bulky-bodied, mollusc-eating placodonts may also be sauropterygians, or intermediate between the classic eosauropterygians and turtles.

How is a diapsid related to a sauropterygian?

Classification of sauropterygians has been difficult. The demands of an aquatic environment caused the same features to evolve multiple times among reptiles, an example of convergent evolution. Sauropterygians are diapsids, and since the late 1990s, scientists have suggested that they may be closely related to turtles.