Atopodentatus
Sign in to saveAtopodentatus is an extinct genus of basal sauropterygian known from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Guanling Formation in Luoping County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. It contains a single species, Atopodentatus unicus. It is thought to have lived between 247 and 240 million years ago, during the Middle Triassic period, about six million years after the Permian extinction. Atopodentatus was an herbivorous marine reptile, although marine reptiles are usually omnivores or carnivores.
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, Atopodentatus is referenced by 235 other articles, and connects out to Elasmosauridae, Cryptoclididae and Plesiosauroidea.
Vinony files it under Anisian life, Fossil taxa described in 2014 and Guanling Formation.
Its subject is documented across 12 Wikipedia language editions.
Wikidata facts
- Parent taxon
- Sauropterygia
- Image
- Atopodentosaurus small.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- taxon common name
- 아토포덴타투스
- taxon name
- Atopodentatus
- taxon rank
- genus
- Commons category
- Atopodentatus
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Description
- Discovery and naming
- Palaeoecology
- Notes
- References
Atopodentatus is an extinct genus of basal sauropterygian known from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Guanling Formation in Luoping County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. It contains a single species, Atopodentatus unicus. It is thought to have lived between 247 and 240 million years ago, during the Middle Triassic period, about six million years after the Permian extinction. Atopodentatus was an herbivorous marine reptile, although marine reptiles are usually omnivores or carnivores.
A near complete skeleton along with a left lateral portion of the skull were discovered near Daaozi village, Yunnan, China. The scientific name derives from the peculiar zipper-shaped morphology of the holotype specimen's jaws and unique dentition. However, two fossil skulls discovered in 2016 indicate that the holotype skull was badly damaged, and that the living animal actually had a hammer-shaped head with shovel-like jaws.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Atopodentatus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.