Cryptoclididae

Cryptoclidids; Temporal range: ; Middle Jurassic - Early Cretaceous,
	Skeleton of Cryptoclidus eurymerus at the Museum of Paleontology, Tuebingen
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	†Sauropterygia
Order:	†Plesiosauria
Clade:	†Cryptoclidia
Family:	†Cryptoclididae; Williston, 1925
Genera
	†Opallionectes; Colymbosaurinae †Abyssosaurus; †Colymbosaurus; †Djupedalia; †Ophthalmothule; †Pantosaurus; †Spitrasaurus; ; Muraenosaurinae †Muraenosaurus; †Picrocleidus; †Tricleidus?; †Vinialesaurus; ; Cryptoclidinae †Cryptoclidus; †Kimmerosaurus; †Tatenectes; †Tricleidus?; ;

Cryptoclididae is a family of medium-sized plesiosaurs that existed from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. They had long necks, broad and short skulls and densely packed teeth. They fed on small soft-bodied preys such as small fish and crustaceans. The earliest members of the family appeared during the early Bajocian, and they represented the dominant group of long-necked plesiosaurs during the latter half of the Jurassic.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.