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ZoomDinosaurs.com
Dinosaur and Paleontology Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Click on an underlined word for more information on that subject.
If the dinosaur or paleontology term you are looking for is not in the dictionary, please e-mail us.

NOTHOSAURS
"Southern lizards"


ANATOMY
NothosaurusNothosaurs were long-necked, long-tailed, fish-eating reptiles ranging from a few inches to 20 feet (6 m) long - they were not dinosaurs. Nothosaurs had four wide, paddle-like limbs with webbed fingers and toes. These reptiles had a long, thin head with many sharp teeth; the front teeth were longer than the back teeth. The nostrils were on the top end of the snout. They breathed air but spent most of the time in the water.

Examples of Nothosaurs include: WHEN NOTHOSAURS LIVED
Nothosaurs lived during the Triassic period, and went extinct during the late Triassic period. They may have evolved into the plesiosaurs.

Contemporaries of Nothosaurs during the Triassic period included the swimming marine reptiles Askeptosaurus and the ichthyosaurs Mixosaurus and Ophthalmosaurus. Primitive dinosaurs like Herrerasaurus, Eoraptor, Staurikosaurus, and Lesothosaurus were just beginning to appear at that time.

BEHAVIOR
Nothosaurs breathed air and lived on land but were able to swim in the water with their paddle-like limbs. They probably laid their eggs on land but hunted and ate in the sea.

DIET
Nothosaurs ate fish and other small swimming animals like shrimp. They fished using their sharp teeth and long snout.

LOCOMOTION
Nothosaurs could walk on four legs and also swim using their paddle-like limbs with webbed digits (fingers and toes) and long tail.

CLASSIFICATION
Nothosaurs were reptiles but not dinosaurs. They are classified as: DISCOVERY OF FOSSILS
Nothosaurs were named by G. von Meunster in 1834. Juvenile (young) nothosaur fossils have been found in beach and cave sediment from Europe, Asia, and North and South Africa.





Information Sheets About Dinosaurs
(and Other Prehistoric Creatures)

Just click on an animal's name to go to that information sheet. If the dinosaur you're interested in isn't here, check the Dinosaur Dictionary or the list of Dinosaur Genera. Names with an asterisk (*) were not dinosaurs.
How to write a great dinosaur report.

For dinosaur printouts, click here.

For brief dinosaur fact sheets, click here.




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