Sclerocormus
Sign in to saveSclerocormus is an extinct genus of ichthyosauriform from the early Triassic period. The fossil was discovered in the central Anhui Province, China. It is currently only known from one specimen, however the fossil is mostly complete and as such further increases the understanding of the early evolution of ichthyosaurs.
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Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Description
- Discovery and naming
- Classification
- Palaeobiology
- References
Sclerocormus is an extinct genus of ichthyosauriform from the early Triassic period. The fossil was discovered in the central Anhui Province, China. It is currently only known from one specimen, however the fossil is mostly complete and as such further increases the understanding of the early evolution of ichthyosaurs.
==Description== thumb|left|Restoration Sclerocormus is much larger than its closest relative Cartorhynchus, with a total body length of and body mass of more than . Its proportions were unusual amongst basal ichthyosauriformes, with a short, heavily built trunk, a very long tail over 92 cm long (58% of the total body length), and a small skull with a short, narrow snout and toothless jaws.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Sclerocormus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.