Cryopterygius: Research Database
Ichthyosauria (Reptilia) · Late Jurassic (~150 MYA) · Europe — Norway (Svalbard)
Research Note: Cryopterygius was an ichthyosaur from the Late Jurassic of Svalbard, Norway — one of the northernmost marine reptiles known and an important taxon for understanding ichthyosaur evolution in the Jurassic.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Jacobs & Martill 2021: Cryopterygius and new data on ichthyosaur diversity from the Jurassic of Norway
Jacobs & Martill 2021 provide comprehensive data on Cryopterygius from the Late Jurassic of Svalbard, establishing it as an ichthyosaur and documenting ichthyosaur diversity in the Jurassic of the North Atlantic
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Confirmed | A | 2021 | Fossil | Jacobs & Martill, PLoS ONE | Diversity |
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Maisch & Matzke 2003: Cryopterygius and additional data on ichthyosaur taxonomy
Maisch & Matzke 2003 provide additional data on Cryopterygius and ichthyosaur taxonomy, further contextualising its significance within Ichthyosauria
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Confirmed | B | 2003 | Fossil | Maisch & Matzke, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie | Taxonomy |
Active Debate: Ichthyosaur Survival in the Late Jurassic
Whether Cryopterygius represents a late-surviving ichthyosaur lineage is debated. The evolution of ichthyosaurs in the Jurassic — and their eventual extinction — is key to understanding ichthyosaur history.
What We Still Do Not Know About Cryopterygius
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Likely marine prey.
- Ecology: Partially understood.
- Distribution: Known from Svalbard only.
In Depth
First discovered in 2009, the holotype specimen of Cryopterygius was found quite complete, only the posterior portion of the tail is missing. The main length of Cryopterygius from the tip of the snout to the posterior regions of the body is just over four and a half meters long, Depending upon how long the tail was, the total length of Cryopterygius would be expected to be somewhere between five and five and a half meters long.
Cryopterygius has been identified as an ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur. This means that Cryopterygius is related to the type genus of the Ophthalmosauridae Ophthalmosaurus as well as other genera such as Platypterygius, Brachypterygius, Mollesaurus and Caypullisaurus among many others.
Further Reading
- Two new ophthalmosaurids (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) from the Agardhfjellet Formation (Upper Jurassic: Volgian/Tithonian), Svalbard, Norway - Norwegian Journal of Geology 92 (2-3): 311–339 - Patrick S. Druckenmiller, J�rn H. Hurum, Espen M. Knutsen & Hans Arne Nakrem - 2012.
