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Stenopterygius facts for kids

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Stenopterygius
Temporal range: Lower to Mid Jurassic
Stenopterygius BW.jpg
Stenopterygius quadriscissus from the Lower Jurassic of Germany
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Sauropsida
Order:
Ichthyosauria
Family:
Stenopterygiidae
Genus:
Stenopterygius

Jaekel, 1904

Stenopterygius was a typical, dolphin-shaped ichthyosaur of the Lower Jurassic. It is like the poster reptile of the ichthyosaur family, Ichthyosaurus, but with slightly narrower flippers and a smaller head. Its name means "narrow wing".

Stenopterygius was more streamlined than the earlier ichthyosaurs of the Triassic period, and likely swam faster in pursuit of prey.

Some Stenopterygius fossils have been found with the remains of juveniles inside--clearly instances of mothers dying before they could give birth. As with other ichthyosaurs, Stenopterygius females gave birth to live young. Their eggs developed internally before birth.

Related pages

Images for kids

  • Stenopterygius triscissus

    S. triscissus specimen

  • Stenopterygius aaleniensis

    S. aaleniensis holotype

  • The dinosaur book - the ruling reptiles and their relatives (1951) (19777856284)

    1921 restoration by Charles R. Knight

  • Stenopterygiusscale

    Stenopterygius with a human to scale

  • Stenopterygius birth

    Skeletal restoration of an adult with juveniles

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Stenopterygius para niños

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