In Depth Not a lot is known about Isfjordosaurus other than it was a basal ichthyosaur from the early Triassic. Further Reading – Phylogeny of the Ichthyopterygia. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 19(3):473-496. – R. Motani – 1999.
Qianichthyosaurus: Research Database Reptilia (Ichthyosauria) · Middle Triassic (~240 MYA) · Asia — China Research Note: Qianichthyosaurus was an ichthyosaur from the Middle Triassic of China — significant for understanding early ichthyosaur diversity and evolutionary relationships during the Triassic period. Research Finding Status Grade Year Method Citation Impact Maisch & Matzke 2003: Qianichthyosaurus … Read more
Besanosaurus: Research Database Mesozoic · Fossil Record Research Note: Besanosaurus was a significant fossil species providing important data on vertebrate evolution during the Mesozoic era. Research Finding Status Grade Year Method Citation Impact Maisch & Matzke 2003: Besanosaurus and Triassic ichthyosaur diversity Neues Jahrbuch Confirmed A 2003 Fossil Maisch & Matzke, Neues Jahrbuch … Read more
Utatsusaurus: Research Database Utatsusauroidea (Ichthyosauria) · Early Triassic (~250–245 MYA) ·> Asia — Japan (Matsuda, Gifu Prefecture) Research Note: Utatsusaurus was an early ichthyosaur from the Early Triassic of Japan. As one of the earliest known ichthyosaurs, it provides critical data on the origin and early diversification of ichthyopterygians. Research Finding Status Grade … Read more
In Depth The best specimen of Grippia was destroyed in World War II, so today we have only this description and other less complete specimens left to study. This makes the key question about what this early ichthyosaur ate very difficult to answer. Early ideas had Grippia down as a predator of armoured prey like … Read more
In Depth As a late Triassic ichthyosaur, Toretocnemus displays some features that show a trend similar to that seen in other transitory ichthyosaurs like Mixosaurus, developing the advanced features that are more commonly associated with later forms like Ichthyosaurus. For a long time Toretocnemus was the only member of its group of ichthyosaurs until the … Read more