LegendaryTemnodontosaurus
Temnodontosaurus platyodon
tem-no-DON-toh-SORE-us· “cutting-tooth lizard”
🌊 Marine reptile🕰️ Jurassic🥩 carnivore🦴 Temnodontosauridae
9 m
Length
2 m
Height
8 t
Weight
A huge Early Jurassic ichthyosaur with some of the largest eyes of any animal — up to 20 cm across — for hunting in deep water. Among the first giant ichthyosaurs found, by pioneering fossil hunter Mary Anning. A marine reptile, not a dinosaur.
When
Early Jurassic, ~200–190 million years ago
Found in
United Kingdom
Discovered
Mary Anning, 1811
Did you know?
- Had eyes up to ~20 cm wide, among the largest of any animal.
- One of the first giant ichthyosaurs, found by Mary Anning as a girl.
- A powerful deep-water hunter of the Early Jurassic seas.
Artwork: Dmitry Bogdanov, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.